by Annalise G.
February...Black History Month...A month dedicated to the intelligence, art, and love within a community. The past is important to opening the future, and one can never truly understand another until they know their past which is the focus of this month for many. Both contemporary and classical African American authors have had a profound effect on society through their literary voices and life experiences.
Here are some awesome books written by African American authors to enlighten and expand the knowledge of their readers:
Beloved by Toni Morrison- As a winner of the 1988 Pulitzer Prize, Beloved examines the destructive legacy of slavery as it follows an African American woman named Sethe and her experience as a slave in 1873.
Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison- Invisible Man follows a young, college-educated African American man struggling to survive and succeed in a racially divided society that refuses to see him as a human being.
The Color Purple by Alice Walker- The Color Purple documents the trauma and triumph of Celie, an African American teenage raised in rural isolation in Georgia. Celie narrates her life through letters to God.
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou- I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is a poetic memoir that captures Angelou struggles and the freedoms of adulthood. Through that Angelou finds strength and despair.
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston- Their Eyes Were Watching God is set in Southern Florida and follows main character Janie and her quest to find independence throughout three marriages.
Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin- Go Tell It on the Mountain is a semi- autobiographic piece telling a story of a teen growing up in 1930s Harlem who struggles with self-identity.
The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story by Nikole Hannah-Jones- The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story follows the story of 20 enslaved African Americans who arrived on the first shores of England American colonies.
Becoming By Michelle Obama- Becoming is a memoir about Michelle Obama's experience with marriage and life before and after the White House.
The Sweetness of Water by Nathan Harris- The Sweetness of Water is set in the Civil War era and follows two enslaved brothers and their quest to find freedom after the Emancipation Proclamation.
Somebody's Daughter: A Memoir, by Ashley C. Ford- This New York Times bestseller from writer and podcaster Ashley C. Ford centers on her coming of age story in Indiana, and her difficulty of growing up with a father in prison, though it takes many years before she discovers why he is there. Between the World and Me, by Ta-Nehisi Coates- As a 2015 winner of the National Book Award for non-fiction, the renowned journalist and writer pens a profound letter to his son about what it means to be Black in America in the 21st century—a place in which you struggle to overcome the historical trauma of your people while trying to find your own purpose in the world.
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett- The Vanishing Half follows a family through multi-generations. It is centered on identical twin sisters' experience in society as two light-skinned females.
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas- The Hate U Give gives insight into the lives of African Americans through the eyes of a high school girl and most specifically it tells the reader what it means to be African American in the eyes of the law.
The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander- The New Jim Crow is a thought provoking read as it is impactful yet easy to follow. It tells the system that has resulted in millions of African Americans suffering discrimination.
The Street by Ann Petry- The Street follows Lutie Johnson, a single African American mother living in the 1940s. Through all the adversity Lutie will face, she fights to raise her son, earn enough money to escape a toxic environment, and achieve the elusive American Dream.
Not Without Laughter by Langston Hughes- Not Without Laugher is a compelling coming-of-age story of Sandy Rogers, a young Black boy. He grows up in a small Kansas town learning how the dynamics of class and religion affect people. Hughes captures the complexities and layers of the African American experience in a way that is both beautiful and painful.
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead- The Underground Railroad is a National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. The narration follows Cara, a slave working on a cotton plantation in Georgia as she decides to risk her life and escape through the dark tunnels below the surface. We follow her struggle to be free and learn of her traumatizing, experiences of slavery, racism and white supremacy.
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