In the final semester of my undergraduate degree (in English), I took an African American Literature class. The theme was the African diaspora. It was one of the most memorable classes I took. Good discussions, engaging, grim material, and a wonderful professor.
But I had been a fan of writers like Toni Morrison, James Baldwin, and Richard Wright for as long as I could remember. The only reason I did not read their work more often was because it was always devastating. And I understand why. A book like Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison or The Bluest Eye is not meant to be heartwarming. They explore heinous realities and the profoundest depths of human cruelty and ugliness.
So, I could see the importance of the books and the issues they explored and/or indicted, I just couldn’t make myself spend all my time in such dark literary places.
But in this post I want to start keeping a list of the great African American books I have read, both fiction and non-fiction. Feel free to add to the list or comment on any of the selections I list.
Whenever I have reviewed a book on World’s Strongest Librarian I will link to the review.
Enjoy!
Books By Toni Morrison
- The Bluest Eye
- Beloved
- Love
- Paradise
- Song of Solomon
- Tar Baby
- Sula
Books by Alice Walker
- The Color Purple
- The Temple of My Familiar
by W.E.B. Dubois
- The Souls of Black Folk
By Booker T. Washington
- Up From Slavery
by Olaudah Equiano
- The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano
by Gayl Jones
- Corregidora
By Nella Larsen
- Passing
- Quicksand
by James Baldwin
- Go Tell It On The Mountain
by Jean Toomer
- Cane
by Pauline Hopkins
- Of One Blood: Or, The Hidden Self
by Richard Wright
- Native Son
- Black Boy
by Ralph Ellison
- Invisible Man
- Flying Home
by Sister Soulja
- The Coldest Winter Ever
by Sapphire
- Push
by Zora Neale Hurston
- Their Eyes Were Watching God
by Edward P. Jones
- The Known World
by Langston Hughes
- All the poetry I can find
by Frederick Douglass
- Narrative of The Life of Frederick Douglass
by Lorraine Hansberry
- A Raisin in The Sun
by Thomas Glave
- Whose Song? and Other Stories
That’s all I’ve got off the top of my head. I’ll continue adding to the list as I go. I’m embarrassed that I’ve only reviewed on of these books on the blog! Will remedy the situation.
Josh
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Wow – that’s an impressive list. But no Maya Angelou? I remember her reading On the Pulse of Morning when Bill Clinton was inaugurated, and her poem made me realize how powerful poetry could be to capture a moment in history. She also wrote an amazing poem called “Phenomenal Woman” that makes me smile whenever I read it.
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is more dark in tone but still a good read.
The Autobiography of Malcolm X and Roots are also worth a look.
Crap. I knew I was forgetting something. I’ve read a ton of Maya Angelou’s books. I have watched Roots but haven’t read it, and I still haven’t read X’s autobiography.
In sf, the books of Steven Barnes and Octavia Butler.
In crime/mystery, Walter Mosley.
Ibid on the Maya Angelou and Octavia Butler. Might I also suggest: Bertice Berry’s “The Haunting of Hip-Hop: A Novel.” and people can call me out all they want over this, but I simply adore Terry McMillan. Soujourner Truth. You also forgot Soujourner Truth. Just sayin’. . . Good list, though, and Song of Solomon is still my favorite Toni Morrison. Alice Walker also did a book of activist essays, “Anything We Love Can be Saved.” She’s brilliant.
Roots!!!!!!!
Autobiography Of Malcolm X
Black No More (…can’t remember the author, but this book is AWESOME. IMHO, for me at the time, it was as amazing a read as Brave New World. It’s a story about an inventor creating a machine that can change a person’s race)
Why We Can’t Wait (MLK)
Black Power (Stokely Carmichael)
Here’s a book you might want to consider adding to your list: Once Upon A Time In Harlem: A Jitterbug Romance radio play by D.C. Copeland. It weaves a fictional storyline through nearly forgotten and legendary accounts of black entertainers during the Harlem Renaissance. It won the Jaz Dorsey Fusion Award from the African American Playwrights Exchange (AAPEX).
Thanks Alice. I will give it a go.