The most anticipated books of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry by African writers, selected by the staff of Open Country Mag.
Compiled by Victor Orji Ebubechukwu. Edited by Paula Willie-Okafor.
Poetry
African Urban Echoes, Edited by Jide Salawu and Rasaq Malik
Griot Lounge | January 15
An anthology centered around the complexities and nuances of life in African cities, featuring work from poets including Jumoke Verissimo, Uchechukwu Umezurike, and Tolu Oloruntoba.
Phases, Tramaine Suubi
HarperAudio | January 28
Inspired by the phases of the moon and its effects on the world and our bodies, these detailed, vulnerable poems peer at change, love, and the connectedness of life.
The Years of Blood, Adedayo Agarau
Poetic Justice Institute | Fall 2025
Agarau’s Poetic Justice Prize-winning coming-of-age debut full-length collection charts a tumultuous childhood in Ibadan at the end of Nigerian military rule. Inspired by Yoruba cosmology and folklore, the poems render a world of evil and violence beside the joys of childhood, family, and community.
Bloodmercy, Itiola Jones
The American Poetry Review | September 25
Winner of the APR/Honickman First Book Prize, Jones’ debut poetry collection explores love, family, God, the unyielding nature of kinship, and what it truly means to be human.
All I Know About a Heavy Heart Is How to Carry It, Chisom Okafor
Jacar Press | November 1
From the Jacar Press New Voices Award recipient, a debut collection of nuanced, unflinching poems interrogating the essence of humanity.
Contraband Bodies, Jide Salawu
NeWest Press Canada | TBA
A personal chronicle of the poet’s own migrant experience, tracing the complexities of home, displacement, and life.
The Naming, Chinua Ezenwa-Ohaeto
University of Nebraska Press | December 1
Poems that weave family history, Igbo ontology, and origin legends to explore a lineage of greatness and esoteric knowledge.
Nonfiction
I’m Highly Percent Sure, Caroline A. Wanga
Amistad | May 6
In what has been praised as a sharp-witted memoir, the Essence CEO shares her lifelong journey navigating her “inner saboteur” and intuition.
On Taboo, Edited by Momtaza Mehri and Ellah Wakatama
Cassava Republic | September 30
In candid essays that explore AIDS, menstruation, mental health, and sexuality, 11 African female writers confront the impact taboo across the continent.
How Depression Saved My Life, Chude Jideonwo
Narrative Landscape Press | TBA
In this deeply affecting memoir, the talk show host takes us into his personal struggles with mental health. A sobering peer into the spirit of one of Africa’s most influential voices.
Children’s Books
Jollof Day, Bernard Mensah
Dial Books | January 28
A young boy and his father bask in the noise of the kitchen as they make the beloved West African dish, jollof rice. This picture book teems with vibrant illustrations.
Bite of the Kaba Lagoon, Bernard Mensah
Scholastica Inc. | February 5
The world’s magic is dwindling as the Nkoyaa Tree loses its power. Blamed for the tree’s decline, Principal Wari and Kwame’s friend Fifi face banishment to the Dark Void.
J vs. K, Kwame Alexander and Jerry Craft
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers | May 6
Fifth graders J and K compete against each other in the annual creative storytelling contest. As their rivalry intensifies, each student schemes to outdo the other and claim the top spot.
Kente for Jojo, Bernard Mensah
Knopf Books for Young Readers | June 3
A brother sets out to weave a special Kente cloth for his new baby sibling, a symbol of love and tradition in their family.
Fiction
Death of the Author, Nnedi Okorafor
Morrow | January 14
As her career plummets, a disabled Nigerian American author pens a dystopian Sci-Fi epic novel unlike anything she has ever written. The book launches her into breakout success, but begins to take on a life of its own.
Till Death, Busayo Matuluko
Simon & Schuster | January 30
A true-crime-obsessed teenager investigates a real-life mystery when she learns her favorite cousin has been receiving anonymous threats to cancel her wedding. As she puts her detective skills to the test, she uncovers secrets that threaten to destroy her family.
African Stories, Edited by Ben Okri
Everyman’s Library | February 18
A one-volume anthology featuring 36 stories by major African writers from the 20th and 21st century, including Chinua Achebe, Ngugi wa Thiong’o, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Tayeb Salih, Doris Lessing, M. G. Vassanjiand, and J. M. Coetzee.
Years of Shame, Obinna Udenwe
Purple Shelves | February
In pride and defiance, a man undertakes a dangerous ritual oath that promises a loss of children and wealth. His decision causes a chain of devastating consequences that come to reach across generations.
Dream Count, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Knopf | March 4
Four women — a travel writer living in America, her lawyer best friend, her wealthy cousin in Nigeria, and her housekeeper— navigate love, motherhood, longing, and desire in Adichie’s anticipated fourth novel, the author’s latest in over a decade.
The Dream Hotel, Laila Lalami
Pantheon | March 4
After an algorithm predicts Sara will commit a crime based on her dreams, she is detained at a retention center where she must prove her innocence. A new resident arrives, upending the order and setting Sara on a path to confront the companies that have seized her freedom.
The Lives and Deaths of Véronique Bangoura, Tierno Monénembo
Schaffner Press | March 4
Flitting between parallel narratives set in French Guinea and in France, the novel chronicles one woman’s turbulent life from a dark and violent past, taking on exile and generational trauma during Sekou Touré’s notorious dictatorship (1956-1982).
Madame Sosostris and the Festival for the Brokenhearted, Ben Okri
Other Press | March 11
Still reeling from her first husband’s departure 20 years ago, an upper-class British woman hosts a masked ball party for the brokenhearted. However, the night takes an unexpected turn.
Theft, Abdulrazak Gurnah
Riverhead Books | March 18
Three young Tanzanians come of age at the turn of the 21st century: Karim returns to his hometown from university with newfound ambition, Fauzia longs to escape a repressive home, and they both offer refuge to Badar, a poor boy uncertain about the future. Gurnah’s first novel since winning the 2021 Nobel Prize for Literature.
She Who Knows, Nnedi Okorafor
DAW | March 25
13-year-old Najeeba receives the Call to the Salt Roads, a mysterious and unprecedented event, as it has only ever been experienced by men and boys. She embarks from her small village with her father and brothers to mine salt at the Dead Lake. The first in the She Who Knows trilogy.
The Edge of Water, Olufunke Grace Bankole
Tin House | April 2
Amina’s mother lets her pursue her dreams in America despite a divination warning, but her life is soon disrupted by a devastating hurricane. Years later, Amina’s own daughter seeks to understand her mother’s story and her estranged family’s past.
Somadina, Akwaeke Emezi
Knopf Books for Young Readers | April 15
Somadina sets out on a perilous journey to find her missing twin who disappears after their magical gifts begin to develop. As she travels through the spirit world, she navigates her dangerous, new powers.
Everything Is Fine Here, Iryn Tushabe
House of Anansi Press | April 22
Set in Uganda, where there are strict anti-homosexuality laws, 18-year old Aine befriends her older sister’s lesbian partner. Tensions rise when their Christian mother issues a difficult ultimatum, and Aine, unable to change her mind, runs away.
One Way Witch, Nnedi Okorafor
Astra Publishing House | April 29
After losing her daughter Oyensowu, Najeeba seeks the help of a sorcerer to teach her to harness the power to destroy a terrible evil, but she must first confront her painful past. The second in the She Who Knows trilogy.
Promises, Goretti Kyomuhendo
Catalyst Press | May 6
Ajuna and her fiancé Kagaba are a young, ambitious couple facing financial troubles in Uganda, but their relationship is tested when Kagaba moves to the UK for economic opportunity. There, he struggles as an immigrant in cold London.
Follow Me to Africa, Penny Haw
Sourcebooks Landmark | May 20
In 1930s England, Mary falls in love with a married paleoanthropologist and follows him to East Africa, where she pursues her passion for archaeology and eventually becomes a renowned scientist. Decades later she meets 17-year-old Grace, who has just lost her mother. Inspired by the true story of Mary Leakely.
Harmattan Season, Tochi Onyebuchi
Tor Books | May 27
Onyebuchi’s fantasy noir follows private eye Boubacar, whose difficult life is disrupted when a bleeding woman appears at his doorstep and quickly vanishes. As the city teeters on the cusp of violence, Boubacar delves into the mystery, confronting his own past.
The Tiny Things Are Heavier, Esther Ifesinachi Okonkwo
Bloomsbury USA | June 24
Newly arrived for graduate school in the US, Sommy grapples with loneliness, the guilt of leaving a brother who has just attempted suicide behind, and a complicated romance with Bryan, a biracial American man. Together, they visit Lagos where Sommy hopes to reconnect with her brother and Bryan seeks his estranged Nigerian father.
Necessary Fiction, Eloghosa Osunde
Riverhead Books | July 22
Eloghosa Osunde explores queer life in contemporary Nigeria. As the vibrant cast of characters pursues their passions, they must also confront their desires, fears, and the “necessary fiction” they have created to survive a society that often rejects them.
This Kind of Trouble, Tochi Eze
Tiny Reparations Books | August 5
In 1960s Lagos, lovers Margaret and Benjamin are torn apart by their shared pasts. Decades later, they must reunite for the sake of their grandson, who starts to show signs of the same struggles that once plagued Margaret.
The Nga’phandileh Whisperer, Eugen Bacon
Stars and Sabers | September 2
In the mystical Sauútiverse, where sound and music hold immense power and magic is woven into the fabric of existence, a young Guardian learns to harness her inner strength.
Secrets of the First School, T.L. Huchu
Tor UK | October 16
Dead and banished to the Other Place, failed magician Ropa Moyo fights to escape, save her sister, and stop the evil Cult of Dundas from ascending to godhood. The finale of T.L. Huchu’s Edinburgh Nights series. ♦
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More Lists and Series from Open Country Mag
— The Rovingheights x Open Country Mag Bestseller List: 2024, 2023, 2022
— Notable Books of the Year: 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021
— Anticipated Books of the Year: 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022
— Our Top Stories of the Year: 2024, 2023
