African American Literature: The Must Reads

Explore essential African American literature with our curated list of must-read books. Discover classic and contemporary works by influential Black authors that celebrate culture, history, and powerful storytelling.

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave Cover
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Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave

by Frederick Douglass

This book is an autobiographical account by runaway slave Frederick Douglass that chronicles his experiences with his owners and overseers and discusses how slavery affected both slaves and slaveholders.
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Their Eyes Were Watching God Cover
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Their Eyes Were Watching God

by Zora Neale Hurston

Fair and long-legged, independent and articulate, Janie Crawford sets out to be her own person -- no mean feat for a black woman in the '30s. Janie's quest for identity takes her through three marriages and into a journey back to her roots.
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ID: 0140186859
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Go tell it on the mountain : [a novel] Cover
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Go tell it on the mountain : [a novel]

by James Baldwin

This novel of Black life in America is written with an impartial attitude
Invisible Man Cover
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Invisible Man

by Ralph Ellison

NATIONAL BOOK AWARD WINNER • NATIONAL BESTSELLER • In this deeply compelling novel and epic milestone of American literature, a nameless narrator tells his story from the basement lair of the Invisible Man he imagines himself to be. One of The Atlantic’s Great American Novels of the Past 100 Years He describes growing up in a Black community in the South, attending a Negro college from which he is expelled, moving to New York and becoming the chief spokesman of the Harlem branch of "the Brotherhood," before retreating amid violence and confusion. Originally published in 1952 as the first novel by a then unknown author, it remained on the bestseller list for sixteen weeks and established Ralph Ellison as one of the key writers of the century. The book is a passionate and witty tour de force of style, strongly influenced by T.S. Eliot's The Waste Land, James Joyce, and Dostoevsky.
Song of Solomon Cover
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Song of Solomon

by Toni Morrison

This novel takes readers into a magical and richly peopled world which encompasses four generations of African American life. Copyright © Libri GmbH. All rights reserved.
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Cane Cover
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Cane

 

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