The New York Public Library was saddened to learn of the death of Eric Jerome Dickey, a true titan in the realm of African American Literature. For many of our librarians and patrons, his books were some of the first ones they discovered as young adults that actually spoke to their lived experience. They were fun, sometimes funny, sometimes full of drama, and always difficult to put down. 

Nicole Outlaw (Edenwald Library) remembers discovering his books early in her career at NYPL in the 1990s. “When I started working at Countee Cullen Library in 1994 I was shocked at the amount of novels written by black authors. They had a large wall full of African American novels shelved in what was then called the Black Experience or African American Experience section. He was one of the first authors I grabbed to read along with Omar Tyree, Vickee Stringer, Donald Goines and Sistah Souljah. I was excited to open books with covers of people that look like me and written by people who look like me.”

According to Oscar Vazquez (Riverside Library), he was introduced to EJD by a cousin in the 1990s, and he was drawn to the way that Dickey teaches about love and relationships in a way that is very real. He tells African American stories in a way that grabs your attention and doesn’t let go. Like so many others, he had a hard time picking just one favorite title - it was between Cheaters and Liar's Game.

Evelyn Williams (Fort Washington Library ) also discovered Dickey’s books early in her NYPL career. She remembers browsing the shelves in the branch where she worked at the time. “I ran across this book with a beautifully animated cover of black women on it; Sister Sister was the title. I read it and fell in love with this black male author who could write in a woman's voice. I loved that about his books—he got us. One moment that stands out for me was reading Sleeping with Strangers on the subway several years back. The sex scene was so crazy that I just laughed out loud. To which a gentleman sitting next to me replied, 'Oh you must have gotten to that part?' Just one of those moments where great literature brings people together in conversation.”

Chasity Moreno (Ask NYPL) describes what made EJD books stand out for her: “I started reading EJD when I was a teenager so his books were an introduction to the world of adult romantic relationships. His writing always stood out to me because it was real and showed the complexity of love instead of just the "happy" side. One of my favorite books of his, The Other Woman is a good example of this. It’s the story of how a marriage falls apart due to infidelity and it manages to be heartwrenching, sensual, and captivating.” 

Ilham Albasri (Morrisania Library) says that Dickey’s titles are always very popular at his branch, often getting checked out right after going on display. Reviews describe his work as full of “lust and angst, sex and violence, leaving no moral boundary uncrossed.” She writes: “I guess he recounts the eternal tale of the human condition!”

Our librarians are big fans of his earlier works, most of which are available as e-books currently. Below are a few of our favorite titles.  You can find more of his fiction in our catalog or in our SimplyE App.

Milk in My Coffee 

Jordan Green, a successful African American professional living in New York City, embarks on a relationship with Kimberley, a white artist, a situation that forces him to confront issues hidden within himself while coping with disapproving family and friends.

Liar’s Game

Leaving New York to build a new life for herself in Los Angeles, Dana Ann Smith plans to start over with a new job, new surroundings, and a new man, but the arrival of her former lover and his ex-wife forces them both to confront painful truths about their past.

The Other Woman

Their marriage dissipating in the face of their conflicting work schedules, an African American couple finds their relationship tested, and then rejuvenated, by extramarital affairs.

Before We Were Wicked

 Ken Swift falls obsessively in love with a Harvard-bound beauty before a one-night stand culminates in an unplanned pregnancy that is further complicated by their disparate backgrounds.

New book alert! EJD left us one more gift before he passed— his last book is due to be released in April. 

The Son of Mr. Sulemon

Professor Pi Suleman is a Black adjunct professor from Memphis. He is constantly forced to bite his tongue in the face of one of his tenured colleague's prejudice and microaggressions. At the same time, he's being blackmailed by a powerful professor who threatens to claim he has assaulted her; he is unable to reveal that she is actually sexually violating him, trapped in a he-said-she-said with a white woman that, in this society, Pi knows he will never win. When he meets Gemma Buckingham, a sophisticated entrepreneur who has just moved to Memphis from London to escape a deep heartbreak, things begin looking up. Though they hail from different cultures, their differences fuel a fiery and passionate connection that just may consume them both.