This summer’s standout memoirs and nonfiction titles are doing what this genre does best, shaking up outdated narratives, spotlighting untold stories, and digging deep into what makes us human. Whether you’re craving inspiration, revelation, or a good book to get lost in, these forthcoming titles are as intellectually nourishing as they are wildly compelling.

Toni at Random by Dana A. Williams

Before she was a Nobel Prize-winning literary icon, Toni Morrison was a force reshaping American publishing from the inside out. With Morrison’s blessing and a title she chose herself, Dana Williams delivers the ultimate backstage pass into the transformative era of Morrison’s genius. Expect deep dives, dazzling anecdotes, and fresh reverence for a woman who edited with as much power as she wrote.

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Positive Obsession by Susana M. Morris

Octavia Butler didn’t just imagine alternate futures, she made space for the rest of us in them. In Positive Obsession, Susana Morris delivers a rich, razor-sharp examination of Butler’s legacy, threading her groundbreaking sci-fi through the movements that shaped her: Civil Rights, Black Power, women’s liberation, queer rights, and beyond.

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The Writings of Jesmyn Ward by Martyn Bone

What makes Jesmyn Ward one of the most essential literary voices of our time? In this illuminating study, Martyn Bone traces the power of Ward’s work from Salvage the Bones to Men We Reaped while drawing connections to Faulkner, Hurston, and Morrison. Through themes of Southern Black life, environmental justice, and the lingering shadows of America’s past, Bone highlights Ward’s distinct voice and vision.

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Misbehaving at the Crossroads by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers

In her latest genre-defying work, Jeffers braids memoir, history, and cultural critique to explore what it means to be a Black woman at the ever-complex intersection of race and gender. With the lyricism readers loved in The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois, Jeffers tackles respectability politics, Black feminism, and generational trauma with unflinching grace. It’s tender. It’s fiery. It’s as much about personal reckoning as it is about collective memory.

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Speak Memorably by Bill McGowan and Juliana Silva

In Speak, Memorably, veteran coach Bill McGowan teams up with Juliana Silva to shake professionals out of their jargon-filled stupor and help them connect through clear, compelling communication. Whether you’re pitching a bold idea, leading through a crisis, or just trying to not bore your audience to tears, this book offers real strategies to sharpen your message and find your voice. If you’ve ever zoned out during a meeting, this witty, no-nonsense guide is your new best friend.

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The Strangers by Ekow Eshun

To be Black and brilliant is to be both seen and unseen, a paradox The Strangers explores with powerful lyricism. Ekow Eshun brings to life five historic Black men, from a nineteenth-century actor to a modern footballer, each shaped by the burden of being viewed as “other.” This biography weaves global Black history, culture, and existential inquiry into a tapestry of identity. Eshun’s prose is lush, thoughtful, and packed with meaning.

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Make it Ours by Robin Givham

Virgil Abloh disrupted luxury fashion not with silk, but with sneakers and Robin Givhan chronicles every runway-rattling moment in this dazzling biography. Make It Ours is more than a fashion book: it’s a cultural excavation of race, taste, and disruption told through the lens of a creative visionary who blurred lines between streetwear and high fashion. With access to Abloh’s closest collaborators, Givhan delivers sharp cultural commentary and one of a kind style story.

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Black Genius by Tre Johnson

From barbershop wisdom to bus trip brilliance, Tre Johnson unearths the radical creativity pulsing through Black American life. With razor-sharp wit and cultural commentary, he threads personal stories with larger truths about mobility, innovation, and everyday brilliance. For readers who love essays that inform and entertain, Black Genius is the kind of book that makes you laugh out loud, cry a little, and text your sibling/cousin/best friend a quote before you even finish the chapter.

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Deep Listening by Emily Kasriel

In Deep Listening, Emily Kasriel urges us to move beyond surface-level conversation and truly listen. Drawing on science, storytelling, and a practical eight-step method, she shows how genuine listening can transform workplaces, family dynamics, and our inner dialogue. Kasriel’s approach offers a clear path to stronger connections and greater understanding.

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Get It Out by Andrea Becker

In Get It Out, sociologist Andrea Becker confronts the silence surrounding one of the most common gynecological surgeries worldwide: hysterectomy. Blending centuries of medical history with interviews from over 100 women, trans men, and nonbinary people, she reveals how reproductive healthcare in the U.S. is shaped by gender, race, and power. The result is an urgent and eye-opening call to reimagine how we talk about and treat uteruses.

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