Published February 28, 2008
Black History Month is almost over, but that does not mean you should stop learning about the experiences of those of the African Diaspora.
One way to learn about the history, legacies, struggles, joys, accomplishments and so on is through reading. Below is a list of books I compiled that will assist in introducing or reinforcing your appreciation for African-American history.
The Sport of the Gods
Author: Paul Laurence Dunbar
Notes: The story of a southern family relocating to New York to start anew but discover their lives in the North are on better tells the familiar story of Blacks during the Great Migration. Published in 1901.
Blues People: Negro Music in White America
Author: Amari Baraka (LeRoi Jones)
Notes: The book follows the history and contributions of African and African American music and their impact on overall American music. Published in 1963.
The Learning Tree
Author: Gordon Parks
Notes: The autobiographical novel of the famous photographer’s teenage years in Kansas. The film adaptation was the first major studio feature film directed by an African-American. Published in 1963.
Native Son
Author: Richard Wright
Notes: Tells the story of Bigger Thomas a young adult who feels trapped and limited in the impoverished South Side of Chicago in the 1920s. Published in 1940.
Things Fall Apart
Author: Chinua Achebe
Notes: Follows the life of Okonkwo, a well-respected elder in his African community. The book also explores how colonization is inevitable distruction. Published in 1959.
The Souls of Black Folk
Author: W.E.B. Du Bois
Notes: Several essays on race and race relations in America written by the noted scholar and and Civil Right’s activist. Published in 1903.
Invisible Man
Author: Ralph Ellison
Notes: Novel explores the struggles of African American men in a predominately-white American society. Published in 1952.
Roots: The Saga of an American Family
Author: Alex Haley
Notes: Fictionalized account of Haley’s ancestors’ experiences of being kidnapped in Africa, the Middle Passage and generations of slavery in America. Published in 1976.
Their Eyes Were Watching God
Author: Zora Neale Hurston
Notes: Novel that tells the life story of Janie Crawford, her transformation and search for love and respect without objectification in her relationships. Published in 1937.
Passing
Author: Nella Larsen
Notes: Novel that explores the complexities of African Americans “passing” for white. Published in 1929.
Coming of Age in Mississippi
Author: Anne Moody
Notes: Autobiography following the life of Moody from childhood to Civil Rights activist. Published in 1969.
Beloved
Author: Toni Morrison
Notes: Fictionalized slave narrative that explores the devastating events and effects of slavery as the protagonist would rather have her children dead than slaves. Published in 1987.
Autobiography of Malcolm X
Author: Alex Haley
Notes: Documents the various transformations of Malcolm X from young criminal to Civil Rights activist representing The Nation of Islam to forming concern for human rights. Published in 1965.
Death of Innocence: The Story of Hate Crime that Changed America
Author: Christopher Benson
Notes: Autobiography of Emmett Till’s mother and how her son’s murder changed her life and history. Published in 2004.
Bullwhip Days, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Confessions of Nat Turner; History of Mary Prince, a West Indian Slave; Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Voices from Slavery: 100 Authentic Slave Narratives, When I Was a Slave: Memoirs from the Slave Narrative Collection, Narrative of Sojourner Truth, Six Women's Slave Narratives, Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Remembers
Authors: Varies
Notes: In order to understand African American history, it is imperative that one understand why and under what conditions most African Americans ended up in America and the autobiographies of slaves should help form that conclusion.
