Even though Black History Month was a couple months ago, that doesn’t mean you should stop celebrating. Keep on celebrating Black influence and culture by checking out these six books by Black authors!
Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot (2020) by Mikki Kendall
Writer and activist Mikki Kendall makes a compelling argument about intersectional feminism, an argument I think every modern feminist, or people who associate themselves with feminist ideals, should read. She focuses on how the feminism movement has left out specific groups of people including Black women. Many of the issues she discusses include gun violence, housing, poverty, education, and how these issues aren’t typically associated with being “feminist” problems. I love the way this book is formatted and it’s a very eye-opening read.
The Selected Works of Audre Lorde (2020) by Audre Lorde, edited by Roxane Gay
For my lovers of poetry, writing, and activism, Audre Lorde is perfect for you. The Black queer poet writes about her intersecting identities and experiences. This version is edited by fellow Black, queer feminist Roxane Gay, famously known for her own book Bad Feminist, and includes Lorde’s well-known essays like “The Master’s Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master’s House” and “I am Your Sister.” Her work truly exposes you to different experiences. Every time I open this book, I feel inspired to re-read her work and analyze as much as I can.
Giovanni’s Room (1956) by James Baldwin
James Baldwin is famously known for his multiple works on race in America. While Giovanni’s Room takes place in Paris, France and focuses more on sexuality than race, the book still highlights Baldwin’s transformative writing. He explores the intersections of queerness and desire as readers follow a queer main character who deals with loss and loneliness. This book was controversial when it was published but it serves as proof that it was ahead of its time. I recommend annotating the book if you can, but simply enjoying Baldwin’s work through reading it would be enough.
If Beale Street Could Talk (1974) by James Baldwin
Of course, I just had to include yet another James Baldwin book because his passion for the topics in his novels is so visible and inspiring! If Beale Street Could Talk follows a Black couple in ‘70s Harlem and deals with topics like injustice, mass incarceration, and being Black in America. This book was hard for me to get through because it really compels you to think about the grander systemic issues in America and how these issues that Baldwin wrote about in the ‘70s still translate today. Though it was a difficult read emotionally, it’s still important as a reader to embrace the uncomfortable. Make sure to look into possible trigger warnings before reading!
The Bluest Eye (1970) by Toni Morrison
Pulitzer prize and Nobel Peace prize winner Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye is one of her most widely acclaimed novels and for good reason. This book touches on themes such as race, beauty, and identity as it follows a young Black girl named Pecola growing up in Ohio post-Great Depression and wanting blue eyes. This book can definitely have some triggering content so be sure to research that before jumping in. The Bluest Eye has been controversial throughout history and has even been banned in some schools, but Morrison writes an in-depth experience of a young Black girl dealing with her intersecting identities as both Black and female, an experience that is often not represented accurately in American literature.
The Color Purple (1982) by Alice Walker
As the first African American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, Alice Walker deals with topics of race, sexuality, family, and religion in her award-winning novel The Color Purple. This novel is structured as a series of letters from the main character, Celie, to God, and to her sister that she was separated from for 30 years after being forced into an unhappy marriage. The Color Purple takes place in the early 20th century in the American South. This book also contains some triggering content such as sexual abuse, violence, and racism. Though it can be a slow read, I believe the content is still important to learn from and definitely makes you think about the topics Walker presents to the reader.
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Black authors have been constantly forgotten and cast aside throughout history so it’s important to support them now more than ever, and not just during Black History Month! Hopefully you can add these to your TBR list and explore the other popular works by these fantastic writers.