10 Great Novels by African Americans

[OhSoVeryLadylike]

I have read all of them...and "All things fall apart"

[From_the_roots]

another great book by Toni Morrison is Song of Soloman

the Roll of Thunder, & Let the Circle be Unbroken are excellent books. I loved them.

and that book by Sista Souljah...the name escapes me right now...

[StarFish106]

I read Jubliee by Margaret Walker at least 3 times..loved it

Other favorites:
Roots is an all time classic
The Price of a Child by Lorene Cary
Sula & The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

[JD1913]

Originally posted by From_the_roots

and that book by Sista Souljah...the name escapes me right now...

I think you may be talking about The Coldest Winter Ever

Yay!!! This thread I like....

Two of my FAVE books of all time are

1) Coming of Age in Mississippi By Anne Moody... after reading that book I was changed forever... her vivid description of the injustices she witnessed/experienced were so powerful... the poverty, the racism... I remember walking around with a permanent scowl for like a week and I was a freshman in high school... y'all I was angry... there was a consciousness I wasnt aware I had... and SHE WAS ONLY 28 WHEN SHE WROTE IT!!!!

2) Okay I have a confession to make... Well its not much of a confession, more than the realization that after most people read this I'll be exposed for being so corny... back in the day that is (dont get it twisted)...

See I grew up in an incredibly strict, pseudo socially conservative, men-are-men type of household... so I will never forget the fall of 1995, I was a sophmore in high school, and there was this book that was being passed around to all of the girls in school... like the WHOLE Varsity and JV Cheerleading squad had read it, the Band Girls had read it, and it was circling and making its way through the various cliques in the school, Im cracking up as a I read this because my school was HUGE (~2200 kids) and there was ONE copy of this book that was being circulated... When the book finally got around to me, I took it home and I used to wait for everyone to go to bed, close my door, turn the light on in my bedroom, put clothes by the bottom of the door so the light wouldnt shine through the crack, and get my read on... I could NOT put it DOWN... it was so good and everrrrrryone was talking about it

it was Invisible Life by E. Lynn Harris

[CrimsonTide4]

Originally posted by JD1913
1) Coming of Age in Mississippi By Anne Moody... after reading that book I was changed forever... her vivid description of the injustices she witnessed/experienced were so powerful... the poverty, the racism... I remember walking around with a permanent scowl for like a week and I was a freshman in high school... y'all I was angry... there was a consciousness I wasnt aware I had... and SHE WAS ONLY 28 WHEN SHE WROTE IT!!!!

I did my senior thesis on this book and Zora Neale Hurston's autobiography, Dust Tracks on the Road. Both excellent autobiographies although Anne's is not as well known.

[JD1913]

Originally posted by CrimsonTide4
I did my senior thesis on this book and Zora Neale Hurston's autobiography, Dust Tracks on the Road. Both excellent autobiographies although Anne's is not as well known.

Oh yeah... novels... I couldnt help it though

[CrimsonTide4]

Originally posted by JD1913
Oh yeah... novels... I couldnt help it though

Don't sweat it. I named some as well.

[IvySpice]

Coming of Age in Mississippi By Anne Moody

Thank you! This book doesn't get a shred of the credit or press it deserves. It should be on every list right next to Black Boy as a chronicle of surviving Jim Crow. I happened upon it in a used bookstore a few months ago, and I just can't believe I hadn't heard of it before.

Another (short) book that is often overlooked is American Hunger, Richard Wright's sequel to Black Boy.

Mildred Taylor's books are also completely underrated. I read them in my early teens, but they aren't juvenile books in any sense except that the protagonist is young. In theme, language, history, etc., they're as sophisticated as anything else mentioned on the thread. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry is as good an education as you could get from any history book. Her book Song of the Trees, in contrast, really is for younger readers.

[Wolfman]

One genre, which is largely overlooked in terms of African American contributions, is Science Fiction/Fantasy. One of the most outstanding works in this genre is the thought-provoking 'Kindred' by Octavia Butler.

[mulattogyrl]

^^That is really good.

[ladylike]

Originally posted by ladygreek
She is good. Has she written anything recently that I may have missed?

I LOVE her work. Her most recent release is Joplin's Ghost which I just picked up yesterday. I would absolutely love for My Soul to Keep and the Living Blood to be turned into movies.

Many of my choices were mentioned.
Bertice Berry's Redemption Song brought tears to my eyes with its display of how lasting and strong love could be between two slaves.

[CrimsonTide4]

Originally posted by ladylike


Many of my choices were mentioned.
Bertice Berry's Redemption Song brought tears to my eyes with its display of how lasting and strong love could be between two slaves.

Her books are good!! I loved Redemption Song as well as
Jim and Louella's Homemade Heart-fix Remedy and The Haunting of Hip Hop but Redemption and Jim and Louella's are my 2 favorites by her.

[rho4life]

Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937), by Zora Neale Hurston. <- that is one of my favorite books of all time. I'm mad b/c I'm not sure where my copy is right now .

I also LOVED Malcom X's autobio. After I finished it the first time I got a snack and sat down and started reading it again!

[jdavs]

"For Us, The Living" by Myrlie Evers Williams (widow of slain civil rights leader Medgar Evers)

[Live_Wire17]

Maude Martha by Gwendolyn Brooks. I was lucky enough to take her class at Chicago State shortly before she past away. She was sweet and had no trouble explaining to us how and what she felt when writing this series of vignettes. It was an experience that will always remain with me.