Authors Our Children Should Know

We should never underestimate the powerful voices of African American writers.  African American writers have been around since the 18^th and 19^th century and should never take them for granted.  They are and have been poets, playwrights, novelists, musicians, and scholars.   Together they helped capture the voice of a nation culture, racism, slavery,  and equality. They have courageously  examined racism, abuse, and violence with grace and dignity.

While African American writers have been slaves held in bondage, former slaves writing of their newfound freedom, or intellectual scholars who often wrote about the lives of rural and urban African Americans.  They were teachers, artists, musicians, and activists producing classic works in fields from jazz to theater; It is the Harlem Renaissance that is perhaps best known for the literature that came out of it.  Their names and styles have changed over the years, but the common goal was to convey an idea, deliver information, or tell a story.  They have been the voices of their generations and inspiring to generations that followed them.

Below are recommendations made by PBS on their website at:  https://www.pbs.org/black-culture/explore/10-black-authors-to-read/

 W.E.B. Du Bois was an educator, essayist, journalist, scholar, social critic, and activist.  His book, The Souls of Black Folk, challenged the civil rights strategies of black leaders while inspiring a cadre of young black activist scholars to use their work to combat racial oppression.

Zora Neale Hurston was an anthropologist, folklorist, civil rights activist, and author.  Hurston is most remembered for her novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937). Hurston was know for travelled far and wide to conduct anthropological research. 

Langston Hughes was a prominent social activist during the Harlem Renaissance and writer of several short plays, novels, and poetry.  Langston Hughes was deeply committed to the cause of black people: their sufferings and culture. His first novel, Not Without Laughter (1930) earned him a Harmon Gold Medal for Literature.

Richard Wright was a novelist and short-story writer.  Wright is most remembered for fearlessly writing about the black man’s struggle against and suffering in a heavily racist society. Two of his most controversial books were, Native Son (1940) and Black Boy (1945). He was the first African-American author whose book (Native Boy) was chosen by the Book-of-the-Month Club.

Ralph Ellison was a lecturer, critic, scholar, and author.  He is most acclaimed for his book, Invisible Man (1952) which ranked 19th in the Top 100 Best English-Language Novels of the 20th Century by the Modern Library Association and won the National Book Award.   He wrote politically and socially motivated essays as well as short stories.

Alex Haley is remembered for his dedication to genealogy.  Haley is the author of The Autobiography of Malcolm X (1965) and Roots: The Saga of an American Family (1976).  Haley focused his life’s work not only on the struggle of the African-Americans but also their rise from slavery to freedom.

James Baldwin is widely known as a writer of novels, essays, short stories, plays and poetry. Most of his literary work espouses racial and sexual tensions in 20th century American society such as Giovanni’s Room (1956) and Going to Meet the Man (1965).

Maya Angelou, among her numerous accomplishments, was an author, poet and civil rights activist.  Her first novel, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969) made her the first African-American author with a nonfiction best-seller.

Toni Morrison is the recipient of prestigious awards such as the Nobel Prize, Pulitzer Prize, American Book Award and Presidential Medal of Freedom.  Her best-known works include Song of Solomon (1977), Sula (1973), Beloved (1987) and The Bluest Eye (1970).

Octavia Butler is famous for successfully using science fiction to address the human experience of African-Americans. Butler published 15 novels and short story collections.

Alice Walker is an author, lecturer, social worker and an active member of the civil rights and black feminist movement.  Walker is best known for her book, The Color Purple (1982) which won a Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award and was later translated into a film and musical play.