Queer Black Books That Should Be Adapted To Films ASAP

Each of these books is a blockbuster just waiting to happen. Sponsored by Amazon Books. Created by BuzzFeed Editors.

1. The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta

Hachette Children's Group

This is the story of Michael, a gay, half-Jamaican, half-Greek Cypriot boy who feels like he doesn't fit in  – until he discovers the drag society at university. There he finally learns to embrace his uniqueness as a drag artist called The Black Flamingo. The novel is written in verse and interspersed with poems Michael writes (which would make a great voiceover device in a movie IMO!). 

2. Vagabonds! by Eloghosa Osunde

HarperCollins Publishers

Vagabonds! is about a cast of misfit characters who live on the fringes of Nigerian society. They include a driver for a debauched politician; a lesbian couple; and a mother who attends a secret spiritual gathering that shifts her reality. Eko, the spirit of Lagos, weaves trouble through their lives. It is said that these vagabonds power Lagos, and so they find themselves drawn together and seized by the spirits who control the city's dark energy. This magical realist novel is a tribute to all those for whom life itself is a form of resistance.  

3. My Government Means to Kill Me by Rasheed Newson

Flatiron Books

My Government Means to Kill Me is a queer coming-of-age story about a gay Black man finding himself in the social and political reckoning of the '80s. After leaving his wealthy family behind and heading to New York, Trey volunteers at a hospice for AIDS patients and becomes a member of ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power). He meets a range of people along the way who help him deal with his own trauma and teach him about queer life. 

4. The Stars and the Blackness Between Them by Junauda Petrus

Penguin Books

This book is about two very different girls whose lives converge one summer. When Audre's religious mother catches her with her secret girlfriend, she's sent to live in America with her dad. Meanwhile, in Minneapolis, Mabel is trying to work out why she's been feeling ill all summer when her dad announces his best friend and daughter who just arrived from Trinidad are coming for dinner. The girls soon fall for each other in this lyrical romance. 

5. Let’s Talk About Love by Clair Kann

Palgrave USA

Let’s Talk About Love is about Alice, a biromantic asexual Black woman who is done with dating since her ex-girlfriend broke it off after finding out that Alice is asexual. But when she meets Takumi, a fellow employee at the library she works at, she has to decide if she's willing to risk a friendship for a love that might not be understood. We love to see some ace representation!  

6. Moon Witch, Spider King by Marlon James

Penguin Books Ltd

The second in James' The Dark Star Trilogy, we finally get to see the story from Sogolon, the Moon Witch's POV. 

She tells of her search for a mysterious boy and her century-long feud with Aesi, who is said to work so closely with the king that together they are like the eight limbs of one spider. Move aside Game of Thrones, we've got a new epic film trilogy ready to be brought to the silver screen.

7. This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron

Bloomsbury YA

YA fantasy adaptations are having a moment, and this tale of a girl with a unique family lineage and an even more unique gift is bound to be an instant hit in cinemas. Briseis has the power to grow and control plants with her touch. When her aunt leaves her an old estate in her will, Bri and her parents go there for the summer hoping she can learn to control her gift. But the house contains mysteries and secrets linked to Bri's family that she is determined to uncover. As she discovers new abilities and new threats, Bri must learn to harness her gift and protect her family. 

8. The Confessions of Frannie Langton by Sara Collins

Penguin

Collins' debut is a historical fiction murder mystery about a formerly enslaved Jamaican servant who had an affair with her French mistress. Frannie Langton finds herself at the centre of a massive scandal when both her master and mistress are found dead, and she's found covered in their blood. The worst part is, she can't remember what happened that day. Surely she would never hurt the mistress she loved so much? While the press eagerly follows the trial, Frannie tells her life story in custody. A film in the making, am I right?

9. Speak No Evil by Uzodinma Iweala

John Murray Press

Niru is a top student and track star from an upper-class family who seems set for Harvard University. But he has a big secret: he's gay, which is a sin to his conservative Nigerian parents. The only one who knows is his best friend Meredith... until his father accidentally discovers the truth. Suddenly Niru's life is upturned as his parents send him to Nigeria to try to "fix" his sexuality while he tries to work out how to fit into a family that's ashamed of him. This is an emotional novel that portrays the struggles of being pulled between different identities and highlights how coming out still isn't easy for many.