*AWashington PostBest Book of January 2025*
*A Southern Review of Books Best Southern Book of January 2025*
*ABook Riot13 of the Best New Queer Books Out in January 2025*
*A Book of the Month Pick for January 2025*
*From the Viral Clark Atlanta University Commencement Speaker*
*From the Georgia Author of the Year Award Winner*

“Black beautifully chronicles one man’s heroic quest to find the source of his generational trauma, a cure for his pain, and ultimately, himself.”Michael Harriot,New York Timesbestselling author ofBlack AF History

The beloved author ofDont Cry for MeandPerfect Peacereturns with a poignant, emotionally exuberant novel about a young queer Black man finding his voice in 1980s Chicagoa novel of family, forgiveness and perseverance, for fans ofThe Great BelieversandOn Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous

Isaac is at a crossroads in his young life. Growing up in Missouri, the son of a caustic, hard-driving father, he was conditioned to suppress his artistic pursuits and physical desires, notions that didnt align with a traditional view of masculinity. But now, in late 80s Chicago, Isaac has finally carved out a life of his own. He is sensitive and tenderhearted and has built up the courage to seek out a community. Yet just as he begins to embrace who he is, two social catalyststhe AIDS crisis and Rodney Kings attackcollectively extinguish his hard-earned joy.

At a therapists encouragement, Isaac begins to write down his story. In the process, he taps into a creative energy that will send him on a journey back to his family, his ancestral home in Arkansas and the inherited trauma of the nations dark past. But a surprise discovery will either unlock the truths hes seeking or threaten to derail the life hes fought so hard to claim.

Poignant, sweeping and luminously told,Isaac’s Songis a return to the beloved characters ofDont Cry for Meand a high-water mark in the career of an award-winning author.