Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Power & Greed, Coming of Age, The Past
Tags Coming of Age, Historical Fiction, Race & Racism, Trauma & Abuse, US History, Diversity, African American Literature, Gender & Feminism, World History
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.
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Power & Greed, Coming of Age, The Past
Tags Coming of Age, Historical Fiction, Race & Racism, Trauma & Abuse, US History, Diversity, African American Literature, Gender & Feminism, World History
Publication year 1900
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Grief, Equality, Joy, Religion & Spirituality, Trust & Doubt, Justice, Nation, The Past, Future, Race, Perseverance
Tags Lyric Poem, Inspirational, African American Literature, American Literature, Race & Racism, Religion & Spirituality, Civil Rights & Jim Crow South, US History
Publication year 1946
Genre Short Story, Fiction
Themes Justice, Hate & Anger, Community
Tags African American Literature, Classic Fiction, Civil Rights & Jim Crow South, Race & Racism
“Like A Winding Sheet” is a short story by African American writer Ann Petry, originally published in 1945 and included in the 1946 collection of Best American Short Stories. Like many of Petry’s novels and short stories, “Like A Winding Sheet” examines how racism within American society impacts the personal lives of working-class African American people. In the story, Petry is especially interested in how racism is an inescapable part of life in New York... Read Like a Winding Sheet Summary
Publication year 1985
Genre Novel, Fiction
Tags African American Literature, Race & Racism, Education, Education, US History, Modern Classic Fiction, Classic Fiction
Gloria Naylor published Linden Hills in 1985, three years after the publication of her debut novel, The Women of Brewster Place. While Naylor’s debut novel focuses on women living in an impoverished housing development, Linden Hills examines an affluent black community through the eyes of two young men: Lester, a Linden Hills resident, and Willie, an outsider living on Wayne Avenue.The Linden Hills neighborhood is the “place to be” (260) in Wayne County, with its... Read Linden Hills Summary
Publication year 2003
Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Fiction
Themes Family, Race, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Grief, Hope, Memory, Childhood & Youth, Animals, Friendship, Mothers, Siblings, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Education, Beauty, Literature, Order & Chaos, Religion & Spirituality, Trust & Doubt
Tags Realistic Fiction, African American Literature, Children`s Literature, Arts & Culture
Locomotion, Jacqueline Woodson’s 2003 novel in verse, follows the perspective of Lonnie Collins Motion, nicknamed Locomotion. After his parents die in a fire and his sister is adopted, Lonnie grieves and navigates life, first in a group home and then with Miss Edna, his foster mother. Through poetry, he slowly finds joy in life again, highlighting the themes of The Search for Identity and Belonging, The Healing Power of Writing, and The Enduring Support of... Read Locomotion Summary
Publication year 2002
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Coming of Age, Family, Siblings, Self Discovery
Tags Realistic Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Dramatic Literature, African American Literature
Publication year 2003
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Love, Hate & Anger, Social Class, Race, Gender Identity
Tags African American Literature, Grief & Death, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Classic Fiction
Publication year 2016
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Race, Nation, Safety & Danger
Tags Fantasy, Horror & Suspense, Science Fiction, Action & Adventure, Race & Racism, Black Lives Matter, US History, Social Justice, American Literature, African American Literature, World History, Historical Fiction, Religion & Spirituality
Publication year 1989
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Marriage, Love
Tags Romance, African American Literature
“Love Song for Alex, 1979” is a lyric sonnet that Margaret Walker wrote for her husband. The poem is frequently labeled a sonnet because of its 14 lines, though it doesn’t follow the strict rhyme scheme of a traditional sonnet. In the style of lyric poetry, the poem expresses Walker’s warm feelings for her husband. Though it doesn’t reveal a narrative, we can glean some details about the couple’s relationship from the poem.Poet BiographyMargaret Walker... Read Love Song for Alex, 1979 Summary
Publication year 1969
Genre Short Story, Fiction
Themes Coming of Age, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Community, Economics, Beauty
Tags African American Literature, Realistic Fiction, Poverty, Great Depression, Education, Education, World History, Classic Fiction
Publication year 1971
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Hate & Anger
Tags Heinemann African Writers, African Literature, Education, Education, African American Literature, Classic Fiction
In Maru (1971), author Bessie Head, also known for When Rain Clouds Gather (1968) and A Question of Power (1973), confronts deeply held prejudice toward the Masarwa people of Botswana. Considered sub-human by most citizens of Botswana, the Masarwa people pursue an untenable and desperate existence within Botswana society. Living off the land, the Masarwa wander from place to place in the bush, scavenging food and water in a subsistence lifestyle. The name “Masarwa” itself... Read Maru Summary
Publication year 1953
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Marriage
Tags Black Arts Movement, Coming of Age, African American Literature, Race & Racism, Education, Education, American Literature, Classic Fiction
Maud Martha (1953) is a fictional narrative by Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Gwendolyn Brooks. The book is written in an experimental style combining poetic language and a nonlinear narrative. Each chapter is a vignette, a quick glimpse into an everyday scene in the life of the title character. Brooks’s only novel, Maud Martha was praised for its depiction of ordinary people and everyday life in Chicago. This guide is based upon the 1993 Third World Press... Read Maud Martha Summary
Publication year 1959
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Race, Animals, Shame & Pride, Equality, Perseverance
Tags Lyric Poem, Harlem Renaissance, American Literature, African American Literature, Race & Racism, Civil Rights & Jim Crow South, Social Justice, US History
Publication year 2020
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Grief, Race, Justice
Tags Crime & Law, Race & Racism, Trauma & Abuse, Grief & Death, African American Literature, American Literature, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Biography
Publication year 2022
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Family, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Hate & Anger, Race, Art, Justice
Tags Historical Fiction, Race & Racism, African American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, World History
Publication year 1996
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Family, Coming of Age, Conflict, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Loneliness, Regret, Masculinity, Mental Health, Race, Death, The Past, Siblings, Social Class, Community, Loyalty & Betrayal
Tags Realistic Fiction, African American Literature
Miracle’s Boys (2000) is a young adult novel by Jaqueline Woodson. The novel tells the story of three brothers, ages 21, 15, and 12, coping with the sudden death of their mother a year before. The middle brother, Charlie, recently returned home from a juvenile detention facility, where he was serving a two-year sentence for attempting to rob a candy store at gun point. Set in a Puerto Rican neighborhood in New York City, Miracle’s... Read Miracle's Boys Summary
Publication year 2001
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Conflict, Social Class, Friendship, Family
Tags Realistic Fiction, Poverty, African American Literature, Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Urban Development
Money Hungry is a 2001 middle-grade novel by American author Sharon G. Flake published by Little, Brown and Company. A Coretta Scott King Honor book, Money Hungry is the first book in Flake’s Raspberry Hill series. It explores 13-year-old Raspberry Hill’s hunger for money and the lengths to which she will go to acquire it. Stemming from a period of homelessness in her childhood, Raspberry will do almost anything to earn enough money to move... Read Money Hungry Summary
Publication year 1989
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Family, Love, Fate, Hope, Memory, Disability, Mental Health, Appearance & Reality, Self Discovery
Tags Finance, African American Literature
Publication year 1939
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Hope, Place, Family, Social Class, Colonialism, Nation, Politics & Government, Equality, Justice, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality
Tags Education, Education, African American Literature, Historical Fiction, Fairy Tale & Folklore, Classic Fiction, Religion & Spirituality
Moses, Man of the Mountain is an allegorical novel by African-American author and anthropologist Zora Neale Hurston. The novel reimagines the life of Moses and the biblical narrative of the Exodus from Egypt with several important changes, including the use of African American dialect, slang, and folklore. Throughout the novel, Hurston draws allegorical parallels between the enslavement of the Hebrew people in Egypt and the enslavement of people of African descent in the United States... Read Moses, Man of the Mountain Summary
Publication year 1972
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Mothers
Tags Lyric Poem, African American Literature, Relationships