Read them if they sound interesting to you; read them if you dare. Some of the books contain mature content. Your parents should be aware of and approve of what you are reading.
Abuse and Recovery
Banned Books
Childhood Stories
The Latino Experience
Baldwin, James. Another Country. Immersed in love, lust, and music in the New York of the early 1960s, the characters in this book cross racial boundaries in a time when this was taboo. Baldwin continues to be a favorite for thoughtful young readers. An early gay novel is Giovanni's Room, anf for a look at life in the black church, check out his Go Tell It on the Mountain.
Baldwin, James. The Fire Next Time. Baldwin's understanding of insights into race and the the Amrerican dilemma hold up stronger than almost anything from the 1960s. This series of essays, along with Notes of a Native Son, still deliver the most powerfyl indictment of racism in the Unites States.
Baldwin, James. Notes of a Native Son.
Ballard, Allen. Where I'm Bound. A leading teacher of African American studies at State University of New York, Ballard details the long-overlooked role of a black cavalry regiment that fought for the Union in Mississippi in the last two years of the Civil War. This story makes the film Glory look like an insignificent aside.
Bambara, Toni Cade. Gorilla, My Love. This book made some of us laugh until tears ran down our faces. At the same time, this tale is smart, critical, and powerfully African American. Told in fifteen short stories that take place in New York and North Carolina, Bambara's book will introduce you to unforgettable characters.
Bates, Karen Grigsby. Plain Brown Wrapper. Follow the adventures of L.A. newspaper columnist Atlex Powell --adventure, murder mystery, and a look at African-American journalism.
Butler, Octavia. Kindred.
Butler, Octavia. Parable of the Talents. This is the second in the Earthseed series and offers a futuristic nightmare of a collapsing sociey -- and young visionaries who try to forgea new understanding for survival.
Dry, Richard. Leaving. Dry follows four generations of an African American family in Oakland, CA (and from the South). This portrait takes us from the early migrations to the shipyard jobs of World War II, to the birth of the Black Panthers, and up to the devastation caused by the crack epidemic.
Ellison, Ralph. Invisible Man. No. this is not the science fiction book on which the movie is based. Rather, it is a classic black novel that has been attacked by everyone from the Left to the Right. The odyssey of a nameless narrator, it is a journey from the South to New York's Harlem and also through the whole labyrinth of American race politics and insanity. Since it has been categorized as a "black book," most people have not noticed that Invisible Man is also a leading example of existential, modern fiction. You should read this one about once a year.
French, Albert. Billy. This novel is a terrifyingly accurate protrayal of Mississippi in the 1930s in which a fight with white kids leads to the execution of a black minor.
Gaines, Ernest J. A Gathering of Old Men. This is an excellent book about racial tension written from shfting perspectives. Hear the story behind the death of a Cajun farmer from each member of a group of black men.
Gaines, Ernest J. A Lesson Before Dying**. This book is the heart-wrenching story of a condemned man learning to read from a young teacher. It contains powerful reflections on education, racism, punishment, and the meaning of our humanity.
Gates, Jr., Henry Louis. The Bondwoman's Narrative by Hannah Crafts. Gates bought an old manuscript at an auction and discovered that he had acquired a unique and critical piece of history -- a narrative by a slave who furtively obtained a powerful literary education. The book is a great read. Gates's excitement, expressed in the introduction, is also worth the price of the book.
Goines, Donald. Daddy Cool and Dope Fiend. One of the most popular African-American authors, Goines, along with Iceberg Slim, kept the bus-stop paperback publisher Holloway House in business with hard-edged, vernacular-laced, and in-your-face 1960s tales.
Haley, Alex. The Autobiography of Malcolm X**. Students love the descriptions of 1940s Harlem and are amazed by the political transformation that made Malcolm X one of the most poweful figures of the twentieth century. This book was written with Alex Haley, author of Roots.
Himes, Chester. Yesterday Will Make You Cry. Himes was the master, the trickster, and the teacher using the cop/mystery genre featuring two African American detectives in Harlem. His book was the basis for the fine film Cotton Comes to Harlem.
Hughes, Langston. Short Stories. This fantastic collection published in 1996 takes kids from Africa to Harlem nightclubs and beautifully captures certains moments in history. Hughes''s dignified characters will make you laugh and cry.
Hughes, Langston. The Ways of White Folks.
Hurston, Zora Neale. Their Eyes Were Watching God**.
Johnson, Charles. Middle Passage.
Jones, LeRoi. Blues People.
Jones, Solomon. Pipe Dreams.
Joravsky, Ben. Hoop Dreams.
Kotlowitz, Alex. There Are No Children Here. See Abuse and Recovery
Kozol, Jonathon. Savage Inequalities.
Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird**.
Lightfoot, Sara Lawrence. Balm in Gilead.
McBride, James. The Color of Water**.
McCall, Nathan. Makes Me Wanna Holler.
Monroe, Mary. God Don't Like Ugly.
Morrison, Toni. Beloved**.
Morrison, Toni. The Bluest Eye**.
Morrison, Toni. Song of Solomon**.
Morrison, Toni. Sula**.
Mosley, Walter. Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned.
Mosley, Walter. White Butterfly.
Murray, Albert. Train Whistle Guitar.
Myles, Eileen. Cool for You. See Abuse and Recovery
Naylor, Gloria. Linden Hills.
Nayblor, Gloria. Mama Day**.
Rochlin, Michael Jacob. Away Game.
Sapphire. Push. See Abuse and Recovery.
Senna, Danzy. Caucasia.
Susskind, Ron. A Hope in the Unseen.
Twain, Mark. Pudd'nhead Wilson.
Tyree, Omar. A Do Right Man.
Tyree, Omar. For Love of Money.
Tyree, Omar. Flyy Girl.
Verdelle, A.J. The Good Negress.
Walker, Alice. The Color Purple**.
Walker, Margaret. Jubilee.
Wideman, John Edgar. Brothers and Keepers.
Williams, John A. Captain Blackman.
Williams, John A. The Man Who Cried I Am.
Wilson, August. The Piano Lesson.
Wrightt, Richard. Native Son**.
**Books Mrs. Wheaton has read.