Though we've compiled 100 selections, this is still only the tip of the literary iceberg.

“From the man known as the father of the Harlem Renaissance comes a powerful, provocative, and affecting anthology of writers who shaped the Harlem Renaissance movement and who help us to consider the evolution of the African American in society.”, Chaka by Thomas Mofolo (1925). This original collection by Paul Laurence Dunbar includes the short novel. “This novel is really two stories: on the one hand, the successful medical career of Hanaoka Seishu, the first doctor in the world to perform surgery for breast cancer under a general anesthetic; on the other hand, the lives of his wife and his mother, who supported him with stoic resignation, even to the extent of finally volunteering to be used as guinea pigs in his experiments.”, Jubilee by Margaret Walker (1966). log out.

Your session to The Christian Far too often Black women are excluded from the classic literary canon. “This volume collects both Wheatley’s letters and her poetry: hymns, elegies, translations, philosophical poems, tales, and epyllions—including a poignant plea to the Earl of Dartmouth urging freedom for America and comparing the country’s condition to her own.”, Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano by Olaudah Equiano (1789).

An update on major political events, candidates, and parties twice a week. “A fast-paced and harrowing tale of slavery and freedom, of the hypocrisies of a nation founded on democratic principles, Clotel is more than a sensationalist novel.”, Biography of an American Bondman, By His Daughter by Josephine Brown (1855). She was moved to finish the book when she discovered that her father’s autobiography was out of print.”, Our Nig by Harriet E. Wilson (1859). “This rich, magical work sets worldly events—love affairs, sibling rivalries, political intrigues, even murder—within the context of the Buddhist understanding that earthly existence is an illusion and karma determines the shape of our lives.”, The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (1845). The work of Black women across history is expansive.

Originally published in 1912, this novel by James Weldon Johnson was one of the first to present a frank picture of being black in America.

Science Monitor has expired. “Tells the classic story of the Zulu hero Chaka.”, The Weary Blues by Langston Hughes (1926).

“It is a tale of sexual passion and disorientation that explores modern Japan’s conflict between the values of Western culture and Occidental tradition.”, Home to Harlem by Claude McKay (1928).

It tells of Shinji, a young fisherman and Hatsue, the beautiful daughter of the wealthiest man in the village.”, Palace Walk by Naguib Mahfouz (1956). Little, Brown.

“Possibly the most important work in Hawai’ian literature, Hawai’i’s Story is a poignant plea from Hawai’i’s queen to restore her people’s kingdom.”, Contending Forces: A Romance Illustrative of Negro Life North and South by Pauline Hopkins (1900). From literary icons to fresh, buzzworthy talent, we're highlighting 25 books by African-American authors you should add to your reading list today. “Du Bois penned his epochal masterpiece … in 1903. “One of the most widely read and controversial works of the Harlem Renaissance, The Blacker the Berry was the first novel to openly explore prejudice within the Black community.”, My Soul’s High Song: The Collected Writings of Countee Cullen by Countee Cullen (1920s-1940s). “A story of a ruthless dictator and his schemes to dispose of a political adversary in an unnamed Latin American country usually identified as Guatemala.”, The Living Is Easy by Dorothy West (1948).

subscription yet. “This work, written sometime between 1268 and 1277, is one of the first Arabic novels, may be considered an early example of a science fiction, and an early example of a coming of age tale and a desert island story.”, The Confessions of Lady Nijō by Lady Nijō (1307). W.E.B. unless you renew or This novel is an imaginative evocation of how those long days affected the lives of people who lived along the hundreds of miles of track.”, The Ambiguous Adventure by Cheikh Hamidou Kane (1961).

… it tells the story of a lifelong friendship between two women from vastly different backgrounds—Wynema Harjo, a Muscogee Indian, and Genevieve Weir, a Methodist teacher from a genteel Southern family.”, Iola Leroy by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper (1892).

Books Sure to Be on Everyone’s Holiday List, Audiobooks Read By Your Favorite Celebrities. “The Diary recorded by Lady Murasaki (c. 973 c. 1020), author of The Tale of Genji, is an intimate picture of her life as tutor and companion to the young Empress Shoshi.”, Theologus Autodidactus by Ibn Al-Nafis (1277).

We are still fulfilling orders; however, processing time ranges between 5 … However, I did not find mysteries by black authors.

Rebecca’s list for the Read Harder Challenge, Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, The Golden Days (The Story of the Stone, part 1), Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Biography of an American Bondman, By His Daughter, Behind the Scenes: Or, Thirty Years a Slave and Four Years in the White House, Life Among the Paiutes: Their Wrongs and Claims, Contending Forces: A Romance Illustrative of Negro Life North and South, The Real Story of Ah-Q and Other Tales of China, Philosophy and Opinions of Marcus Garvey Or, Africa for the Africans, My Soul’s High Song: The Collected Writings of Countee Cullen, Crusade for Justice: The Autobiography of Ida B.

Books on this list are arranged in chronological order, and descriptions are from Goodreads.

8 'Don't Call Us Dead' by Danez Smith. Add these eight new children’s books by black authors and illustrators to your kids' shelves this month—and read them all year long.

“Perhaps the best written of all the slave narratives, Twelve Years a Slave is a harrowing memoir about one of the darkest periods in American history.”, Clotel; or, The President’s Daughter by William Wells Brown (1853). -- The Guardian. Lu Xun’s stories both indict outdated Chinese traditions and embrace China’s cultural richness and individuality.”, Selected Poems of Gabriela Mistral by Gabriela Mistral (1922).

“The most famous collection of Garvey’s speeches and essays.”, The New Negro edited by Alain Locke (1925).

Editor's Picks: Science Fiction & Fantasy, Ann Petry: The Street, The Narrows (LOA #314).

But the literary canon tends to be dominated by white men. “After missing the last bus home following a day trip to the seashore, an amateur entomologist is offered lodging for the night at the bottom of a vast sand pit.

Sulwe by Lupita Nyong'o (3-7 years).

“This long-unavailable classic tells the tale of young Samba Diallo, a devout pupil in a Koranic school in Senegal whose parents send him to Paris to study philosophy.”, A House for Mr Biswas by V.S.

Keep an eye on your inbox. Culture & Learning. Revisit classics by African American authors that have resonated with readers around the world. Your subscription to

Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches by Audre Lorde tackles views on feminism through the lens of … Du Bois. “Tells the story of a young black man caught in a downward spiral after he kills a young white woman in a brief moment of panic.”, Love in a Fallen City by Eileen Chang (1943). “A collection of Confucius’ sayings, compiled by his pupils shortly after his death in 497 B.C., and they reflect the extent to which Confucius held up a moral ideal for all men.”, One Thousand and One Nights by Anonymous (800). A powerful cultural touchstone of modern American literature. As an activist, Pan-Africanist, sociologist, educator, historian and prolific writer, …

“Drawing on the West African (Nigeria), Yoruba oral folktale tradition, Tutuola described the odyssey of a devoted palm-wine drinker through a nightmare of fantastic adventure.”, Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison (1952). “A literary masterpiece of the Harlem Renaissance, Cane is a powerful work of innovative fiction evoking black life in the South.”, The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran (1923).

The Christian Science Monitor has expired.

“Tells the story of the rise and fall, birth and death of a mythical town of Macondo through the history of the Buendia family.”, Thousand Cranes by Yasunari Kawabata (1967).

These questions and more are answered hilariously in Black No More, George S. Schuyler’s satiric romp.”, Jonah’s Gourd Vine by Zora Neale Hurston (1934).

“Bashō’s haiku are the work of an observant eye and a meditative mind, uncluttered by materialism and alive to the beauty of the world around him.”, Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio by Pu Songling (1740). Please try again later.

The visionary author’s masterpiece pulls us—along with her Black female hero—through time to face the horrors of slavery and explore the impacts of racism, sexism, and white supremacy then and now.

“Josephine Brown (1839-? There are novels, plays, poetry, and nonfiction from around the world—something for everyone. “In this riveting account, he tells of his journey from a prison cell to Mecca, describing his transition from hoodlum to Muslim minister.”, The River Between by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o (1965).

“Rebelling against the constraints of family and society, a young Egyptian woman decides to study medicine, becoming the only woman in a class of men.”, Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe (1958).

A first novel by an unknown writer, it remained on the bestseller list for sixteen weeks, won the National Book Award for fiction, and established Ralph Ellison as one of the key writers of the century.

There is some overlap between the three lists, but I’ve tried to keep this to a minimum. This message will appear once per week "When my teacher asks me a question thinking I'm not paying attention, but I get it right.".

A weekly digest of Monitor views and insightful commentary on major events. Kindred // Octavia Butler. 50 Amazing Books By Black Authors From The Past 5 Years. But when he attempts to leave the next morning, he quickly discovers that the locals have other plans.”, Selected Poems by Gwendolyn Brooks (1963).

Wells by Ida B. We are experiencing technical difficulties. Vivid, graceful, and unapologetic, it details a daily life of severe poverty and brutal police surveillance under the subjugation of an apartheid regime..”, God’s Bits of Wood by Ousmane Sembène (1960). © 2020 BET Interactive, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Black Entertainment Television LLC.

I’ve also avoided giving authors more than one slot on this list. “The first novel known to have been written by a woman of American Indian descent.