10 African American Literature Must Reads

My Attitude About Reading...

I'm Obsessed, Passionate, Enthusiastic, and Consumed with reading

I was excited to take an African American Literature class in college. I couldn't wait to devour the material. Not only obsessed with reading, as a history major I was also obsessed with, well...HISTORY. The class was the perfect combination. 

Not what I expected...

The professor was an older lady.  When I say older, I mean like WAY older (she had to be in her eighties).  So old that her memory had definitely seen better days.  We were a few weeks into class, she was lecturing about the content, talking about assignments and tests about some of reading but no one in the class had the books she was talking about. You see, the list she submitted to the bookstore as required texts for the class did not match the list of books she was teaching so no one had the correct materials.  She didn't believe there was a mistake and it took several students complaining before she would provide an accurate list to the class.  Once that situation was resolved, the class moved forward but her lectures were all over the place and her tests didn't always match the material taught. BUT, it was okay because I had a chance to read some of the most amazing works that semester; books, poems and stories that I'd never heard of when I was in high school. 

To celebrate...

At the end of the semester, as a culminating event, the professor invited all of the students and their families to her house for a soul food celebration.  All of the students were supposed to bring a dish. I made chicken and sausage jambalaya which ended up being one of my families favorites, from The Black Family Reunion Cookbook. It was an experience for sure. As disorganized and senile as she seemed, she pulled together an awesome celebration of African American history. 

The following list is my best recollection of the works I read that semester.  As a history teacher, I believe it is imperative that we learn a well-rounded history of our country.  It is impossible to ignore the significance of these texts and I'd encourage you to,  if you have not already, read some if not ALL of them. 

Ralph Ellison 
Invisible Man  (1952)

Langston Hughes
The Collected Poems (1921-1967)

Ernest J. Gaines
The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (1971)

Alice Walker
The Color Purple (1970)

Toni Morrison
Song of Solomon (1977)

Richard Wright
Native Son (1940)

Zora Neale Hurston
Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937)

Jean Toomer
Cane (1923)

Frederick Douglass
Narrative of The Life of Frederick Douglass (1845)

Booker T. Washington
Up from Slavery (1901)

I'd love to hear from you...have you read any of these and if so, which ones? What would you add to the list?