Reading Recommendations

If You Like Urban Fiction

03/08/24 If You Like, Urban Fiction

Urban Fiction, or Street Lit, share the socio-economic realities and culture of its characters in a city landscape. Profanity, sex, and violence are usually explicit and it is common that authors of this genre draw upon their own past experiences to inform their stories. Here are several ways to easily find and check out urban fiction reading recommendations with your IndyPL library card.

1. Borrow e-books or downloadable audiobooks.

Browse urban fiction lists from OverDrive to find e-books and downloadable audiobooks. If you have never borrowed from OverDrive before, both OverDrive app directions and OverDrive browser directions are available as well as an OverDrive video tutorial and access to Overdrive Support.

Browse Urban Fiction from OverDrive

2. Make a selection from this list of urban fiction authors.

3. Get reading recommendations from our staff.

This Town is Strange…Urban Fantasy Fiction

It’s hard out there for a working stiff. Especially considering all the zombies, wizards, witches, vamps, weres, Fae, and gods taking up room in the shadows.

Urban Cinema We Love

“Urban Cinema describes a wave of city-based, feature-length films by African-American directors that began in the mid-1980s and that were dominated by action movies and youth dramas. In urban cinema, social and economic injustices, along with the conditions and relationships they produce, function as essential elements that directly motivate a film’s characters, plot, dialogue, action, and aesthetics.” – Encyclopedia of African-American Culture and History.

Native American Urban Fiction

There’s a lot of great work that falls into the broad category of “urban Native American literature.” Depictions of Native Americans and the urban experience are crucial for understanding Indigenous peoples in the U.S. today. Some of these books deal with the transitions and dissonance that Native people experience between their lives at home and urban settings. There are also books that reflect the great number of Native peoples in the U.S. who do not live on reservations.

4. Find a book discussion near you!

You are invited to join in one of our many in-person or online book discussions that take place several times each month. In our book discussion groups we read and talk about both fiction and non-fiction books. We express our opinions (both likes and dislikes!) with other avid readers in the city.

Event: Club de lectura en español
Date & Time: Tuesday, October 08, 6:30pm
Location: West Perry Branch
Description: Este será completamente en español. Estamos muy emocionados ya que este año la Biblioteca Pública de Indianápolis en colaboración con Mujeres Conectadas empezará un Club de Libro bimensual. Este será completamente en español.
Register Here

Event: Adult Horror and Sci-fi Book Club at Yujo Ramen and Boba Tea
Date & Time: Tuesday, October 08, 6:30pm
Location: Community Location
Description: Sponsored by the Michigan Road Branch Library: Read the book and attend in person at Yujo Ramen and Boba Tea or attend online from your home computer! We chose the book “How to Sell a Haunted House” by Grady Hendrix to discuss in October.
Register Here

Event: Adult Book Discussion at Fort Ben
Date & Time: Tuesday, October 08, 6:30pm
Location: Fort Ben Branch
Description: We will be discussing “How to Sell a Haunted House” by Grady Hendrix. Adults are invited to this monthly book discussion and new members always welcome!
No Registration Required.

Need help?

Need more help? Ask a Library staff member at any of our locations or call, text or email Ask-a-Librarian. Additionally, the Tinker Station helpline at (317) 275-4500 is also available. It is staffed by device experts who can answer questions about how to read, watch and listen on a PC, tablet or phone.

Tags If You Like, Urban Fiction