Reading List
Authors Like
Tyler Perry was born Emmitt Perry Jr. in New Orleans in 1969 and changed his first name at sixteen to separate himself from the man who had abused him and his mother. After hearing on The Oprah Winfrey Show that writing things down could help, he wrote letters to himself; they became his first play, I Know I've Been Changed, first staged in Atlanta around 1992. Madea arrived on stage in 1999. In 2006 his first book, Don't Make a Black Woman Take Off Her Earrings, written in Madea's voice, went to number one on the New York Times bestseller list and stayed on it for twelve weeks; Higher Is Waiting (2017) told his own story through faith. The ten writers below share his mix of comic voice, hard childhood and church.
By Lisanne Swart · 10 authors · Memoir · Faith · Comic advice · Updated October 2026
Quick answer
The closest matches to Tyler Perry's books are Maya Angelou, who played Madea's cousin in Madea's Family Reunion (2006) and wrote the defining memoir of a Southern Black childhood; Iyanla Vanzant, for faith-based advice; and Steve Harvey, whose Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man (2009) is another comedian's advice book. Further down are memoirs that take the same childhood material in harder directions.
10 authors like Tyler Perry
Where to start if you loved Tyler Perry
If you loved Madea's voice, read Langston Hughes.
The Simple stories, starting with Simple Speaks His Mind.
If you loved Higher Is Waiting, read Maya Angelou.
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, then Letter to My Daughter.
If you want advice with laughs, read Steve Harvey.
Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man.
If you want the harder version, read Kiese Laymon.
Heavy, a memoir written as a letter to his mother.
If you have not read Perry himself, start with Higher Is Waiting.
For Madea, read Don't Make a Black Woman Take Off Her Earrings (2006); for fiction, A Jazzman's Blues (2023), written with Echo Brown from his film.
Frequently asked questions about authors like Tyler Perry
What books has Tyler Perry written?
Three: Don't Make a Black Woman Take Off Her Earrings (2006), Madea's comic advice; Higher Is Waiting (2017), a spiritual memoir; and A Jazzman's Blues (2023), a novel written with Echo Brown from his Netflix film.
Who writes like Tyler Perry?
Maya Angelou, Iyanla Vanzant and Steve Harvey are the closest: Angelou for the childhood and faith, Vanzant for spiritual advice, and Harvey for the comic advice book. Langston Hughes's Simple stories are the literary ancestor of Madea.
What should I read after Higher Is Waiting?
Maya Angelou's Letter to My Daughter (2008) and Cicely Tyson's Just as I Am (2021) share its mix of hard childhood and faith. Kiese Laymon's Heavy (2018) covers similar ground without the consolation.
Is there a Madea book?
Yes: Don't Make a Black Woman Take Off Her Earrings: Madea's Uninhibited Commentaries on Love and Life (2006). It went to number one on the New York Times bestseller list and won Book of the Year at the 2006 Quill Awards.
Is Tyler Perry like Maya Angelou?
In subject, yes: both write about a Southern childhood marked by abuse and about the faith and family that carried them through. Angelou appeared in his film Madea's Family Reunion (2006).
Does Tyler Perry have a new book?
His most recent book is A Jazzman's Blues (2023), written with Echo Brown. No new book had been announced when this list was reviewed in October 2026.
Sources
- Tyler Perry — Wikipedia
- Higher Is Waiting — AALBC
- Madea's Family Reunion — Wikipedia
- Madea Goes to Jail — Wikipedia
List last reviewed 30 October 2026.
More from the shelf
From the bookshelf
If this shelf interested you, the full bookshelf has more: reading lists by theme, author guides, and notes on what is actually worth your time.
Browse the full bookshelf Get book recommendationsRead next
