African American Literature

Navigate the rich and diverse history of African American literature, from memoirs and poetry to science fiction. The titles in this study guide collection span a wide range of time periods, including the post-slavery era, the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s, the Civil Rights Movement, the Black Arts Movement, and the 21st century. Read on to discover insights and analysis on some of the most important works of African American literature, such as The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B Du Bois, A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, and Kindred by Octavia E. Butler.

A True Story

by Mark Twain

Publication year 1874

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Race, Equality, Gender Identity, Justice

Tags American Civil War, African American Literature

“A True Story, Word for Word as I Heard It” is a short story by Mark Twain, first published in 1874 in the Atlantic Monthly. Mark Twain was an American writer known for such classics as Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. In its critique of slavery and racism, the story anticipates Huck Finn; it also explores themes of The Possibility of Human Connection, Black Women Defying Racism and Sexism, and... Read A True Story Summary

Aubade

by Major Jackson

Publication year 2015

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Love, Beauty

Tags Lyric Poem, African American Literature

“Aubade” is a contemporary love poem by American poet Major Jackson. Published in 2017 in Jackson’s fourth collection of poetry Roll Deep, the poem first appeared in The New Yorker in 2015. The title of the poem references a form of love song or poem that marks the dawn—the time of day when lovers must separate. Aubades were popular in medieval times, and unlike a serenade, which accompanies the evening and nightfall, an aubade evokes... Read Aubade Summary

A Visit to Grandmother

by William Melvin Kelley

Publication year 1964

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Family, Race, Conflict

Tags African American Literature, Black Arts Movement

“A Visit to Grandmother” is a short story by American author William Melvin Kelley, first published in his collection Dancers on the Shore (1964). The story centers around Chig, a 17-year-old boy, and his father, Dr. Charles Dunford, as they visit Chig’s grandmother in Nashville, Tennessee. During their visit, Charles challenges issues that have long damaged his relationship with his mother, and the confrontation reaches a breaking point when he exposes his long-held resentment over... Read A Visit to Grandmother Summary

A Voice from the South

by Anna Julia Cooper

Publication year 1892

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Femininity, Race, Social Class, Education, Nation, Politics & Government, Equality, Justice

Tags Race & Racism, African American Literature, Gender & Feminism, US History, Sociology, World History, Social Justice, Classic Fiction, Politics & Government

... Read A Voice from the South Summary

Barracoon

by Zora Neale Hurston

Publication year 2018

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Justice, Power & Greed, Family, Perseverance, Memory, Language, Race, Community

Tags Historical Fiction, Harlem Renaissance, US History, Race & Racism, African American Literature, Anthropology, Black Lives Matter, Civil Rights & Jim Crow South, Grief & Death, History: African , Social Justice, Trauma & Abuse, World History, Biography

Originally written in the late 1920s and early 1930s, Barracoon: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo” (2018) is the transcribed posthumous autobiography of the life of Oluale “Cudjo Lewis” Kossola (1841-1935), written by Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960). Known for her involvement in the Harlem Renaissance, Hurston was a writer, anthropologist, folklorist, and filmmaker. In all her work, she held a special appreciation for Black life and Black culture of the US South. Her works... Read Barracoon Summary

Becoming

by Michelle Obama

Publication year 2021

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Perseverance, Hope, Gender Identity, Race, Family, Marriage, Self Discovery, Community, Politics & Government, Equality, Justice

Tags Self-Improvement, Inspirational, African American Literature, US History

... Read Becoming Summary

Beloved

by Toni Morrison

Publication year 1987

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Memory, Daughters & Sons

Tags Magical Realism, Race & Racism, American Literature, Existentialism, African American Literature, Education, Education, World History, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction

Toni Morrison’s Beloved was published in 1987. It is inspired by the real story of an African American woman named Margaret Garner, who, while attempting to liberate herself and her children from enslavement, killed her own daughter to prevent her capture and enslavement. It tells the story of Sethe, a self-liberated, formerly enslaved woman who kills her daughter in the same manner. This daughter later returns to haunt the family. The novel is widely classified... Read Beloved Summary

Betrayal in the City

by Francis Imbuga

Publication year 1976

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Loyalty & Betrayal

Tags African American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Dramatic Literature

Betrayal in the City is a play by Francis Imbuga. First published in 1976, the play’s powerful indictments of government corruption in post-colonial Africa, the cost to voiceless citizens, and the numbing effects of daily violence make it both an important work of art and an act of extreme courage by its author. There is one complicated question at the heart of the play: what chance do the citizens of a country have if the... Read Betrayal in the City Summary

Between the World and Me

by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Publication year 2015

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Race, Justice

Tags Race & Racism, African American Literature, Black Lives Matter, World History, Social Justice, Politics & Government, Biography

Ta-Nehisi Coates’s nonfiction book Between the World and Me was published 2015. The book takes the form of a long letter to Coates’s son Samori at age 15, and the title borrows from a poem by famed Black author Richard Wright. The text focuses on the psychological and physical trauma of racial violence that haunts generations of Black people, considering themes like The Precarity of the Black Body in the United States, The Danger of... Read Between the World and Me Summary

Big Black Good Man

by Richard Wright

Publication year 1989

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Tags African American Literature

Richard Wright’s “Big, Black, Good Man” is available at Esquire’s website and was originally published in the print version of the magazine on November 1, 1957. Told in a limited third-person narration, the story is set in Copenhagen, Denmark and is about racial misunderstanding.Olaf Jensen, the night porter at a cheap waterfront hotel, is on duty the night before his sixtieth birthday. Olaf has had a mostly satisfactory life with his wife, Karen, and feels... Read Big Black Good Man Summary

Big Boy Leaves Home

by Richard Wright

Publication year 1936

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Community, Race, Justice

Tags African American Literature, Race & Racism, Trauma & Abuse, Coming of Age, Civil Rights & Jim Crow South

The short story “Big Boy Leaves Home” (1936) is the first published work of Richard Wright (1908-1960), a celebrated African American author who is best known for his 1940 protest novel Native Son. Most of Wright’s poetry, fiction, and nonfiction deal with the experiences of working-class Black people (especially men) in the United States. His protagonists, like “Big Boy,” struggle against overt racism and racist violence in their communities, ultimately facing crises that force them... Read Big Boy Leaves Home Summary