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.

Gem of the Ocean

by August Wilson

Publication year 2003

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Race, Community, Religion & Spirituality, Justice

Tags Drama, Historical Fiction, Race & Racism, Education, Education, African American Literature, Dramatic Literature, Classic Fiction

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Going To Meet The Man

by James Baldwin

Publication year 1965

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Race

Tags Black Arts Movement, Existentialism, Race & Racism, African American Literature, American Literature, World History, Classic Fiction

Written by African-American author James Baldwin in 1965, this short story tells of the racial violence and strife between black and white Americans in a rural Southern town during the American Civil Rights Movement. The story's main character, Jesse, is a white sheriff's deputy. The story begins on the evening after Jesse and other police officers have arrested and brutally tortured a young black man protesting outside the courthouse.Jesse lays in bed with his wife... Read Going To Meet The Man Summary

Half of a Yellow Sun

by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Publication year 2006

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Loyalty & Betrayal

Tags Historical Fiction, African Literature, African American Literature, Military & War, Modern Classic Fiction, World History

Chimamanda Adichie’s second book, Half of a Yellow Sun, is set during the Nigerian Civil War that tragically occurred in her home country during the 1960s. The story masterfully revolves around an intricate web of shifting viewpoints, each of which centers around one of the novel’s five main characters: Ugwu, Odenigbo, Olanna, Kainene, and Richard. All of these characters find themselves affiliated with the Biafran rebels of the war, and this affiliation eventually has consequences... Read Half of a Yellow Sun Summary

Harlem

by Langston Hughes

Publication year 1951

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Future, Race, Justice, Equality, Nation

Tags Lyric Poem, Harlem Renaissance, African American Literature, Civil Rights & Jim Crow South, Race & Racism, US History, Urban Development

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Harlem Duet

by Djanet Sears

Publication year 1997

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Race, Gender Identity, Social Class

Tags African American Literature, Race & Racism, US History

Often called a prelude to Shakespeare’s Othello, Harlem Duet tells the story of Othello and his first wife, Billie—the woman he married before Desdemona. Their history is told through the lives of three couples, each named Othello and Billie, during eras of special significance in Black American history: 1860, before the Emancipation Proclamation; 1928, at the height of the historic Harlem Renaissance; and 1997, after the civil rights movement but before the 21st century.Written by... Read Harlem Duet Summary

Harriet Tubman

by Ann Petry

Publication year 1955

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Family, Religion & Spirituality, Perseverance

Tags Children`s Literature, Education, Education, World History, Classic Fiction, Biography, US History, Race & Racism, American Civil War, African American Literature, Women`s Studies

Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad is a 1955 biography by American author Ann Petry. This book takes the reader on a journey through Harriet Tubman’s life, from her birth to enslaved parents on a Maryland plantation to her death as a free woman in New York in 1913. Tubman is a well-known figure in American history and is best known for her heroic actions as a “conductor” on the Underground Railroad. After escaping... Read Harriet Tubman Summary

Hoops

by Walter Dean Myers

Publication year 1981

Genre Book, Fiction

Themes Race, Coming of Age, Fathers

Tags Coming of Age, Realistic Fiction, Sports, Race & Racism, Parenting, African American Literature, American Literature, Children`s Literature, Arts & Culture

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Hope And Other Dangerous Pursuits

by Laila Lalami

Publication year 2005

Genre Novel, Fiction

Tags Immigration & Refugeeism, African American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction

Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits is a work of fiction written by Moroccan native Laila Lalami and published in 2005. The narrative is comprised of nine stories involving the lives of four major characters, all of whom attempt to emigrate illegally from Morocco to Spain in order to have better lives. Despite the fact that these stories are separate from one another, the book does not represent a short story collection in the classic sense;... Read Hope And Other Dangerous Pursuits Summary

I Beat the Odds

by Michael Oher

Publication year 2011

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Teamwork, Coming of Age, Childhood & Youth, Education, Perseverance

Tags Sports, Inspirational, African American Literature, Life-Inspired Fiction, Poverty, Education, Biography

I Beat the Odds: From Homelessness, to The Blind Side, and Beyond (2011) is a memoir written by NFL player Michael Oher and journalist Don Yaeger. It tells Oher’s story in his own words, describing his childhood and teen years up to his rookie season in the NFL. His story was first brought to the public’s attention in Michael Lewis’s book The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game, published in 2006. This book was made... Read I Beat the Odds Summary

If Beale Street Could Talk

by James Baldwin

Publication year 1974

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Music

Tags Classic Fiction, Black Arts Movement, Romance, Modern Classic Fiction, American Literature, Existentialism, African American Literature, Race & Racism, Historical Fiction

If Beale Street Could Talk is a novel by James Baldwin (1924-1987), a critically acclaimed African American writer on matters of race and the African American experience. Originally published in 1974, the novel gained fresh attention with Barry Jenkins’ film adaptation in 2019. The novel is the love story of salesclerk Clementine “Tish” Rivers and budding sculptor Alonzo “Fonny” Hunt, African American natives of Harlem whose lives are derailed in the late 1960s to early... Read If Beale Street Could Talk Summary

If We Must Die

by Claude McKay

Publication year 1919

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Conflict, Equality, Power & Greed

Tags Grief & Death, Race & Racism, Colonialism & Postcolonialism, African American Literature, Harlem Renaissance, Education, Education, Classic Fiction

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I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings

by Maya Angelou

Publication year 1969

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Race, Literature, Coming of Age

Tags African American Literature, Creative Nonfiction, Trauma & Abuse, Race & Racism, Gender & Feminism, Classic Fiction, Biography

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings is an autobiographical novel by Maya Angelou. Angelou discusses the struggles of growing up African American in the 1950s. The novel has themes of overcoming adversity and trauma, both used as a general metaphor for the struggle against racism. Angelou wrote the novel as a challenge to create literature out of an autobiography, and what emerged is a classic that is still revered today.The novel begins on a... Read I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings Summary

I, Medusa

by Ayana Gray

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Femininity, Justice, Power & Greed, Gender Identity

Tags Fairy Tale & Folklore, Historical Fiction, Action & Adventure, Fantasy, African American Literature

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Imperium in Imperio

by Sutton E. Griggs

Publication year 1899

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Politics & Government, Race, Conflict, Perseverance, Hate & Anger, Revenge, Social Class, Equality, Justice

Tags Historical Fiction, African American Literature, Race & Racism, Science Fiction, Education, Education, American Literature, Classic Fiction

Imperium in Imperio (1899) is a historical-fiction novel by social activist Sutton E. Griggs. Imperium in Imperio explores the idea of a Black utopia, wherein Black Americans form a shadow government to seize control of the state of Texas and form their own nation. In the late-19th and early-20th centuries, the novel was sold door-to-door in Black communities and was largely unknown to the white population, ultimately garnering little notoriety upon its original publication. However... Read Imperium in Imperio Summary