He traced his Black ancestry through time and across continents. What he found is a story only he can tell. From hip-hop artist Jason Diakité comes a stunning account of growing up between worlds. A Drop of Midnight is Jason’s remarkable memoir and an unflinching look at not only his own history, but also that of generations affected by the trauma of the African diaspora, then and now. Jason draws on conversations with his parents, research, and personal experiences to paint a vivid picture of race, discrimination, family, and ambition. Prime members read or listen for free. There are frankly so many good diverse memoirs out there that aren’t on this list. For more memoirs, check out these other book lists. The result is this memoir where she writes about life in her community, racism, grief, drugs, pain, poverty, desperation, and how these contributed to their demise and that of so many other black men. Jesmyn revisits her pain in this devastating and profound memoir that will most likely move you to tears. This memoir recounts the life of a brave woman who discovered the link between deforestation and poverty in her country and set out to change things despite being ostracized and imprisoned. As they dive deeper into the investigations, they come to terms with their own trauma, as told in this memoir that switches back and forth from the case to their own life story. This is not an easy memoir to read as it goes into the details of child abuse, trauma, murder, PTSD, and the lives of the victims and abusers. In this memoir, we see a period of Afghanistan history through Fawzia’s eyes, from the invasion of the Soviets to civil wars to the eventual takeover by the Taliban to the first democratic elections held in Afghanistan. From her childhood to life during the horrors of the Taliban rule and beyond, Fawzia remains passionate about her country, her culture, the plight of women around her, and the free future she hopes her daughters have. In this memoir, readers are given an inside look at the story of her life, from her childhood to her fight for democracy and becoming the president of Liberia after years of conflict in the country. And also an in-depth look at the history of Liberia, from the resettling of former slaves to the civil wars to the struggles the country and its people went through. She takes us through the good and the bad and the mistakes she made along the way. From the history and stories behind certain Nigerian dishes and spices, which makes you understand that eating food can be an experience, not just an act of survival, to the stories about sex, sexism, wars, and their connections to several dishes, you’ll leave this memoir knowing a lot about Nigerian food and more interested in the history behind the dishes in your own culture or country.
50 Must-Read Contemporary Diverse Memoirs 10 Lyrical Memoirs That Will Enchant You12 Excellent Memoirs By Women of Color
I hope you add these diverse memoirs to your reading list and enjoy reading them.
