🎯 Where Should I Start?
ⓘ About Terry McMillan
Terry McMillan is an African American short fiction author and novelist who believes her work is best described as the experiences of African American men and women from the city. McMillan was born to blue-collar worker Edward Lewis McMillan in Port Huron Michigan in 1951. Her father was an alcoholic that beat up his wife regularly and this left a huge scar on the young Terry. When she was only thirteen, her parents divorced and her mother had to work several odd jobs to feed her children. At sixteen, Terry got a job at the local library stacking shelves to help her mother provide for her siblings. It was while she was working at the library that she became a voracious reader and learned about the world of imagination.
All Book Series by Terry McMillan
It's Not All Downhill from Here
Latest in the series · book 8 of 8 · published 2020
It's OK if You're Clueless: and 23 More Tips for the College Bound
Series opener · book 1 of 2 · published 2006
Making Callaloo: 25 Years of Black Literature
Latest in the series · book 2 of 2 · published 2002
? Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Terry McMillan?
Terry McMillan is an African American short fiction author and novelist who believes her work is best described as the experiences of African American men and women from the city. McMillan was born to blue-collar worker Edward Lewis McMillan in Port Huron Michigan in 1951. Her father was an alcoholic that beat up his wife regularly and this left a huge scar on the young Terry.
Which Terry McMillan series should I start with?
The best place to start is the Waiting To Exhale series, the earliest of Terry McMillan's multi-book series: it opens with Waiting to Exhale (1992) and runs to 2 books across 1992–2010, ending with Getting to Happy (2010).
How many books has Terry McMillan written?
Terry McMillan has 14 books catalogued in this guide, published between 1987 and 2025. 2 of them belong to 1 named series — the largest being the Waiting To Exhale series with 2 books — and 12 are standalone titles, collections or anthologies.
In what order should Terry McMillan's series be read?
Read each series in publication order — the numbered entries in each series follow the year each book first appeared. Terry McMillan's series do not depend on one another, so they can be started in any order; by start date they are Waiting To Exhale (1992–2010, 2 books).
How are Terry McMillan's books organised into series?
This guide splits Terry McMillan's 14 books into 1 named series and 12 titles that stand alone or appear only in collections: Waiting To Exhale (2 books, 1992–2010).