Here are 100 books that Living A Blessed Lie fans have personally recommended if you like Living A Blessed Lie. Book DNA is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Lady of the Church

Lakisha Johnson Author Of Almost Destroyed

From my list on African American Christian fiction.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve had a love for Christianity since I was a child. However, it wouldn’t be until years later that the love for it would turn into a passion for penning Christian Fiction. I began my journey in ministry in 2014 and two years later, I released the first novel. Since then, God has allowed me to write on many different topics I’ve now recognized were needed. I want others to see Christian Fiction doesn’t have to be boring or dry, but can be entertaining, inspirational, and full of life. This is why I’ve chosen these books as recommendations and I hope the readers will enjoy them even more than I have.

Lakisha's book list on African American Christian fiction

Lakisha Johnson Why Lakisha loves this book

Lady of the Church is a realistic depiction of a lady who feels as though she’s losing her identity. To many, they only cared about “First Lady,” the title, and not Sabrina, the person. This book made me laugh, sad, happy, and mad at the same time. I even found myself questioning whether or not I was guilty of judging a person based on their stature and not character. Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it.

By Khara Campbell ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Lady of the Church as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Sabrina Dean did not sign up for her role as First Lady of Everlasting Love Ministry, but that’s what happened when she married a preacher’s kid. The role requires far more than she bargained for. There is the pressure of perfection. Isolation from not being treated like a “regular” sister in Christ and the judgment. Oh, the judgmental remarks she endures. It also doesn’t help that things at home aren’t as perfect as people think. Sabrina puts on a brave face, one of many, but how much more pressure can she take?


If you love Living A Blessed Lie...

Book cover of These Blue Mountains

These Blue Mountains by Sarah Loudin Thomas,

A moving story of love, betrayal, and the enduring power of hope in the face of darkness.

German pianist Hedda Schlagel's world collapsed when her fiancé, Fritz, vanished after being sent to an enemy alien camp in the United States during the Great War. Fifteen years later, in 1932, Hedda…

Book cover of Don't Push Me

Lakisha Johnson Author Of Almost Destroyed

From my list on African American Christian fiction.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve had a love for Christianity since I was a child. However, it wouldn’t be until years later that the love for it would turn into a passion for penning Christian Fiction. I began my journey in ministry in 2014 and two years later, I released the first novel. Since then, God has allowed me to write on many different topics I’ve now recognized were needed. I want others to see Christian Fiction doesn’t have to be boring or dry, but can be entertaining, inspirational, and full of life. This is why I’ve chosen these books as recommendations and I hope the readers will enjoy them even more than I have.

Lakisha's book list on African American Christian fiction

Lakisha Johnson Why Lakisha loves this book

D.A. Bourne weaves a story of Christian Fiction and overcoming racism during a time it’s at an all-time high. We all know racism is a touchy subject a lot of people don’t like to talk about, but it’s a sad reality many face every day. This story surrounds autoworkers and their families who find themselves faced with racial conflict that tests their faith, patience, ability to forgive, and all the things they’ve always believed in. 

By D.A. Bourne ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Don't Push Me as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

How do you handle being harassed because of your skin color?How do you deal with the false stereotypes at your new workplace?How can you comfort your spouse when she's a victim of hate?How much longer can you be pushed before you take action?The story begins about a group of autoworkers and their families as they deal with racial conflict in and out of the assembly plant. Their faith and patience will be tested as they approach an unpredictable season.


Book cover of He Won't Go

Lakisha Johnson Author Of Almost Destroyed

From my list on African American Christian fiction.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve had a love for Christianity since I was a child. However, it wouldn’t be until years later that the love for it would turn into a passion for penning Christian Fiction. I began my journey in ministry in 2014 and two years later, I released the first novel. Since then, God has allowed me to write on many different topics I’ve now recognized were needed. I want others to see Christian Fiction doesn’t have to be boring or dry, but can be entertaining, inspirational, and full of life. This is why I’ve chosen these books as recommendations and I hope the readers will enjoy them even more than I have.

Lakisha's book list on African American Christian fiction

Lakisha Johnson Why Lakisha loves this book

Although Stacey has been writing for years, this is her first publication in Christian Fiction. In He Won’t Let Go, Stacey skillfully pens a story of Christianity meets addiction. We’re taken on a rollercoaster of emotions as Lyriq faces the challenges of her past and present intersecting while trying to keep the vows she made, her faith intact, and her will to deny the flesh.

By Stacey Covington-Lee ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked He Won't Go as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Ryker was the quintessential success story. Small town boy studied hard, moved to the big city, and became what every businessman dreams of and what most women lust after. However, it wasn’t until he returned to small town Georgia that Ryker met the woman who would capture his heart. Sitting in the old rickety church, he heard the voice of an angel. When he lifted his eyes, he saw his future bride. What he didn’t realize was that the woman with the angelic voice, Lyriq James, had once fallen and was still struggling to regain her footing. Despite the objections…


If you love She Nell...

Book cover of Coyote Weather

Coyote Weather by Amanda Cockrell,

Coyote weather is the feral, hungry season, drought-stricken, and ready to catch fire. It’s 1967, and the American culture is violently remaking itself while the country is forcibly sending its young men to fight in a deeply unpopular war.

Jerry has stubbornly made no plans for the future because he…

Book cover of Every Voice Ain't From God

Lakisha Johnson Author Of Almost Destroyed

From my list on African American Christian fiction.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve had a love for Christianity since I was a child. However, it wouldn’t be until years later that the love for it would turn into a passion for penning Christian Fiction. I began my journey in ministry in 2014 and two years later, I released the first novel. Since then, God has allowed me to write on many different topics I’ve now recognized were needed. I want others to see Christian Fiction doesn’t have to be boring or dry, but can be entertaining, inspirational, and full of life. This is why I’ve chosen these books as recommendations and I hope the readers will enjoy them even more than I have.

Lakisha's book list on African American Christian fiction

Lakisha Johnson Why Lakisha loves this book

If you’re looking for Christian Fiction with jaw-dropping suspense, twists, turns, and drama, this is the book. The characters are so defined that I renamed Zakari as Zacrazi because he was just that. He was the type who knew he was doing wrong and would pray while doing it. This book will have you trying to figure out the ending beforehand.

By Tanisha Stewart , Carrie Bledsoe (illustrator) ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Every Voice Ain't From God as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A psychological thriller with jaw-dropping twists and turns, and characters whose antics will leave you speechless… A story about love gone right, then wrong.

Zakari has known Nicole was the one since high school. He prays about whether their relationship is meant to be and receives confirmation one night during a church service. Zakari and Nicole are getting married!

Until she breaks up with him the next day.

Zakari plunges into a pit of despair, then Nicole reaches out and tells him they can be friends, maybe rekindle their relationship after college? Elated, Zakari agrees and bides his time until…


Book cover of Can I Get A Witness? Reading Revelation Through African American Culture

Roland England Author Of Worthy Is the Lamb: The Book of Revelation as a Drama

From my list on Christian on Revelation for a general audience.

Why am I passionate about this?

I'm a huge fan of Revelation which tops my list of favorite books of the Bible. I recently retired after 47 years as a pastor in the United Church of Christ. How many times have I read Revelation and preached on this marvelous book? How many times have I read and heard interpretations, and misinterpretations? The answer, a lot! I finally decided I had to write my own book. I study Revelation like digging in a field for buried treasure. The more digging, the more riches I find! I am a graduate of Eastern Mennonite University where I majored in Bible, and a graduate of Union Presbyterian Seminary, Richmond, VA., with a Master of Divinity.

Roland's book list on Christian on Revelation for a general audience

Roland England Why Roland loves this book

I was intrigued by Blount's comparison between the African American experience and the situation of the first-century church. I gained better understanding of Revelation’s purpose, which I state in my book: “To enable and empower the church’s resistance.” I want this book sung and accompanied by a marching band. I want to hear, “we shall overcome” and “nothing will turn us around.” I want to clap my hands and add my voice in witness to the good news of Jesus! That’s what this book does for me!

By Brian K. Blount ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Can I Get A Witness? Reading Revelation Through African American Culture as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In this accessible and provocative study, Brian Blount reads the book of Revelation through the lens of African American culture, drawing correspondences between Revelation's context and the long-standing suffering of African Americans. Applying the African American social, political, and religious experience as an interpretive cipher for the book's complicated imagery, he contends that Revelation is essentially a story of suffering and struggle amid oppressive assimilation. He examines the language of "martyr" and the image of the lamb, and shows that the thread of resistance to oppressive power that runs through John's hymns resonates with a parallel theme in the music…


Book cover of This Here Flesh: Spirituality, Liberation, and the Stories That Make Us

Terra McDaniel Author Of Hopeful Lament: Tending Our Grief Through Spiritual Practices

From my list on grieving without getting overwhelmed by despair.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been to hell and back over the years. After experiencing childhood abuse, I lived through a succession of traumas with my family including fraud, painful experiences in church ministry, a death threat, and a catastrophic house fire accidentally started by my mother-in-law. While I was helped by counseling, prayer, and caring friends and mentors, something was still missing. I needed to process all that pain and loss but didn’t know how. I had to learn how to grieve. Over years of rebuilding, I’ve lived the lessons of lament and know the healing that is possible when pain is metabolized. 

Terra's book list on grieving without getting overwhelmed by despair

Terra McDaniel Why Terra loves this book

I discovered Cole Arthur Riley through her breath prayers and curated wisdom around liberation through her Black Liturgies account on Instagram. Her words in this book are poetry and good medicine for my soul.

Her story of learning to love her physical body as she lives with chronic pain is wise and freeing. I didn’t know how much I needed her wise reimagining of the story of the garden, the fall, and what it means to find home. 

By Cole Arthur Riley ,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked This Here Flesh as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • In her stunning debut, the creator of Black Liturgies weaves stories from three generations of her family alongside contemplative reflections to discover the “necessary rituals” that connect us with our belonging, dignity, and liberation.

“This is the kind of book that makes you different when you’re done.”—Ashley C. Ford, New York Times bestselling author of Somebody’s Daughter

“Reaches deep beneath the surface of words unspoken, wounds unhealed, and secrets untempered to break them open in order for fresh light to break through.”—Morgan Jerkins, New York Times bestselling author of This Will Be My Undoing and…


If you love Living A Blessed Lie...

Book cover of Temple of Dreams: A Novel of Now and Then

Temple of Dreams by Carolyn Mathews,

Homeless following the death of his adoptive parents in a car crash and the subsequent loss of their farm tenancy, Seb decides to enrol as a residential student at the Asklepios Foundation, a College of Natural Medicine, boasting a sanctuary modelled on an ancient Greek healing temple. Spending a night…

Book cover of Misogynoir Transformed: Black Women's Digital Resistance

Micki McElya Author Of Clinging to Mammy: The Faithful Slave in Twentieth-Century America

From my list on antidotes to the unrelenting poison of “Aunt Jemima”.

Why am I passionate about this?

Stories of the past are always about making claims to the present and future. These claims include which stories—whose stories—are persistently silenced, ignored, or made very hard to hear, see, and know in the dominant culture. I am a cultural historian of U.S. political history, broadly imagined. My work is almost always driven by the same question: Why didn’t I already know this? Quickly followed by: What has it meant that I didn’t know this? Invariably, the answers are found in the histories of women, gender, race, sexuality, class, and immigration.

Micki's book list on antidotes to the unrelenting poison of “Aunt Jemima”

Micki McElya Why Micki loves this book

Bailey originated the term “misogynoir” in 2008 to describe, she writes, “the anti-Black racist misogyny that Black women experience, particularly in US visual and digital culture.” The controlling image of the “Mammy” has long been a hyper-visible, toxic presence in this milieu. In this book, Bailey examines the digital resistance and social media-based activisms of Black women—particularly queer and trans women—who seize representational power to dismantle the distorting stereotypes, expose their systemic impacts, and make spaces for telling their own diverse, gendered Black stories and enable others to do so as well. Throughout, Bailey makes clear that cultural representations have material, life-and-death effects, but also the capacity to create new and better worlds.

By Moya Bailey ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Misogynoir Transformed as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Where racism and sexism meet-an understanding of anti-Black misogyny
When Moya Bailey first coined the term misogynoir, she defined it as the ways anti-Black and misogynistic representation shape broader ideas about Black women, particularly in visual culture and digital spaces. She had no idea that the term would go viral, touching a cultural nerve and quickly entering into the lexicon. Misogynoir now has its own Wikipedia page and hashtag, and has been featured on Comedy Central's The Daily Show and CNN's Cuomo Prime Time. In Misogynoir Transformed, Bailey delves into her groundbreaking concept, highlighting Black women's digital resistance to anti-Black…


Book cover of In the Key of Us

Erin Becker Author Of Crushing It

From my list on LGBTQ+ romance for middle school readers.

Why am I passionate about this?

I love writing stories for young people in that “in-between” age: age 12, 13, and 14, when kids are figuring out who they are and who they want to become. For many young people, crushes are a huge part of this coming-of-age process—I know they were for me! When I was this age, there weren’t many books that explored crushes and the first romance for LGBTQ+ kids. I’m thrilled to be part of a wave of authors writing these stories now. And I’m so excited for a future where we have a wealth of books about the joy, heartbreak, and humor of all kinds of young love.

Erin's book list on LGBTQ+ romance for middle school readers

Erin Becker Why Erin loves this book

I thought this was such a gorgeous book with complex, relatable characters and a really profound portrayal of the sweetness and depth of first love! Thirteen-year-olds Andi and Zora are dealing with grief, the complexities of friendships and family pressure, and the hyper-competitive world of their elite music camp.

This is one I had to really savor—I kept re-reading sentences because the writing was just so lovely and really brought the characters’ feelings to life. There were also several references to songs and performing artists I love, adding an extra layer of connection with the story!

By Mariama J. Lockington ,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked In the Key of Us as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 8, 9, 10, and 11.

What is this book about?

In Grand Rapids, Michigan, Andi is grappling with grief following the death of her mother. Zora is exhausted by trying to please her success-oriented parents. Both feel very much alone. Until a summer music camp brings them together.

The only two Black girls at camp in a sea of white children, Andi and Zora slowly begin to connect and reveal their deepest fears and dreams. While Andi is a natural on trumpet, Zora doesn't know if she wants to be a floutist since she also loves to dance.

As Andi and Zora struggle to figure out who they really are,…


Book cover of A History of Me

Patrice Gopo Author Of All the Places We Call Home

From my list on celebrating stories of home, identity, and belonging.

Why am I passionate about this?

As the Black American daughter of Jamaican immigrants born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska, I love stories that depict the beauty of being multifaceted human beings. Stories steeped in broad understandings of place and home. Stories that encourage us to delight in being the people we are. I also believe our children are natural poets and storytellers. Lyrical picture books filled with rich language and sensory details encourage the thriving of such creativity. In addition to writing All the Places We Call Home, I'm the author of All the Colors We Will See, an essay collection about race, immigration, and belonging. 

Patrice's book list on celebrating stories of home, identity, and belonging

Patrice Gopo Why Patrice loves this book

A History of Me is a poetically-told story of trial and struggle, but ultimately of triumph and celebration of self. This book is deeply rooted in the author’s experience as a Black child who attended a predominantly white school. Yes, I love this book for its words and illustrations, but I also love it because I share the same experience. This book is one I wish I could hand to the child I once was. Theodore directly addresses the challenges but also provides encouraging words of connection to past generations. These words empower the little girl in the story and readers who find themselves in this book. We need more stories that consider the impact racial injustice can have on identity formation. A History of Me is one such story. 

By Adrea Theodore , Erin Robinson (illustrator) ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked A History of Me as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

An uplifting message of hope for the future and pride in your history, inspired by a mother's experience of being the only Black child in her classroom.

Who do you see when you look in the mirror?
 
Emphasizing the strength, creativity, and courage passed down through generations, A History of Me offers a joyful new perspective on how we look at history and an uplifting message for the future.
 
Being the only brown girl in a classroom full of white students can be hard. When the teacher talks about slavery and civil rights, she can feel all the…


If you love She Nell...

Book cover of Marriage and Fatherhood in the Nazi SS

Marriage and Fatherhood in the Nazi SS by Amy Carney,

When I was writing this book, several of my friends jokingly called it the Nazi baby book, with one insisting it would make a great title. Nazi Babies – admittedly, that is a catchy title, but that’s not exactly what my book is about. SS babies would be slightly more…

Book cover of Go Gator and Muddy the Water: Writings From the Federal Writers' Project by Zora Neale Hurston

Scott Borchert Author Of Republic of Detours: How the New Deal Paid Broke Writers to Rediscover America

From my list on the New Deal’s contributions to the arts.

Why am I passionate about this?

My great uncle was an eccentric book collector who lived in an old, rambling house stuffed floor-to-ceiling with thousands and thousands of books. After he died, I inherited a tiny portion of his collection: a set of state guidebooks from the 1930s and 40s. These were the American Guides created by the Federal Writers’ Project, the New Deal program that put jobless writers to work during the Great Depression. I dipped into these weird, rich, fascinating books, and I was hooked immediately. Some years later, I quit my job in publishing to research and write my own account of the FWP’s unlikely rise and lamentable fall, Republic of Detours

Scott's book list on the New Deal’s contributions to the arts

Scott Borchert Why Scott loves this book

Today, most people know Zora Neale Hurston as a novelist, thanks to her classic Their Eyes Were Watching God. But she was also an accomplished folklorist, anthropologist, playwright, and essayist. And yet, by the late 1930s, she was broke, and she found work with both the Federal Theater Project and Federal Writers’ Project. This book collects Hurston’s writing for the FWP in her home state of Florida, along with an incisive essay by Pamela Bordelon. The sheer variety of material on display here wasn’t unusual for the FWP: you’ll find essayistic meditations on folklife and art, collections of tall tales and children’s songs, and sketches of labor in the turpentine camps and citrus groves—as well as a chilling report on a racist massacre in Ocoee. 

By Pamela Bordelon ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Go Gator and Muddy the Water as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

When Pamala Bordelon was researching a work on the Florida Federal Writers Project, she discovered writings in the collection that were unmistakably from the hand of Zora Neale Hurston, one of the leading writers of the Harlem Renaissance. Over half of the works included here have not been published or are only available in the Library of America edition of Hurston's works. As Hurston's fans know, all of her novels draw upon her deep interest in folklore, particularly from her home state of Florida. Here we see the roots of that work, from the wonderful folktale of the monstrous alligator…


Book cover of Lady of the Church
Book cover of Don't Push Me
Book cover of He Won't Go

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