Influential Books written by African Americas
Discover the most influential books written by African Americans that shaped history and culture. Explore powerful narratives, from classics to modern works, that inspire and educate.
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Krik? Krak!
by Edwidge Danticat
When Haitians tell a story, they say "Krik?" and the eager listeners answer "Krak!" In Krik? Krak! In her second novel, Edwidge Danticat establishes herself as the latest heir to that narrative tradition with nine stories that encompass both the cruelties and the high ideals of Haitian life. They tell of women who continue loving behind prison walls and in the face of unfathomable loss; of a people who resist the brutality of their rulers through the powers of imagination. The result is a collection that outrages, saddens, and transports the reader with its sheer beauty.
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Masters of the Dew
by Jacques Roumain
This outstanding Haitian novel tells of Manuel's struggle to keep his little community from starvation during drought.
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Black Boy
by Richard Wright
Richard Wright describes what it was like growing up in Jim Crow-era Mississippi.
