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50 Books That Every African American Should Read

"Whether you're traveling on vacation, sunbathing on the beach, or simply lounging in the park, nothing beats a good book in the summertime. Still, with so many options at one's disposal, deciding on a title can prove difficult.
Huffington Post BlackVoices has compiled an extensive book list, featuring a range of genres including fiction, non-fiction, poetry, science-fiction and the autobiography.
From Ralph Ellison to Jesmyn Ward, many of the authors have been heralded with national awards in the United States. Others, such as Zadie Smith and Tsitsi Dangarembga, have broken literary ground abroad in countries such as Zimbabwe, the United Kingdom, South Africa and Uganda. Stemming back to 1789 with Olaudah Equiano's "The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano," these 50 titles have heavily contributed to contemporary narratives about the black experience across the globe."- from Huffington Post
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from huffingtonpost.com · made by NKOAS
avg. score: 7 of 50 (14%)
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Annie Allen
Annie Allen
1
Assata (Assata Shakur)
Assata
2
Assata Shakur
Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self
Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self
3
Breath, Eyes, Memory (Edwidge Danticat)
Breath, Eyes, Memory
4
Edwidge Danticat
Coffee Will Make You Black
Coffee Will Make You Black
5
Coconut
Coconut
6
Dreams From My Father (Barack Obama)
Dreams From My Father
7
Barack Obama
Drinking Coffee Elsewhere
Drinking Coffee Elsewhere
8
The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano (Olaudah Equiano)
The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano
9
Olaudah Equiano
Flight to Canada
Flight to Canada
10
For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Not Enuf (Ntozake Shange)
For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Not Enuf
11
Ntozake Shange
Half of a Yellow Sun
Half of a Yellow Sun
12
Head off & Split
Head off & Split
13
Decoded (Jay-Z and Dream Hampton)
Decoded
14
Jay-Z and Dream Hampton
Invisible Man (Ralph Ellison)
Invisible Man
15
Ralph Ellison
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (Maya Angelou)
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
16
Maya Angelou
The Known World (Edward P. Jones)
The Known World
17
Edward P. Jones
Kindred (Octavia Butler)
Kindred
18
Octavia Butler
What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day
What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day
19
The Autobiography of Malcolm X (Alex Haley and Malcolm X)
The Autobiography of Malcolm X
20
Alex Haley and Malcolm X
Nervous Conditions (Tsitsi Dangarembga)
Nervous Conditions
21
Tsitsi Dangarembga
The New Jim Crow (Alexander)
The New Jim Crow
22
Alexander
I Am Not Sidney Poitier
I Am Not Sidney Poitier
23
Go Tell It on the Mountain (James Baldwin)
Go Tell It on the Mountain
24
James Baldwin
The Other Side of Paradise
The Other Side of Paradise
25
Our Kind of People
Our Kind of People
26
Roots (Alex Haley)
Roots
27
Alex Haley
Song of Solomon (Toni Morrison)
Song of Solomon
28
Toni Morrison
The Intuitionist
The Intuitionist
29
The Color Purple (Alice Walker)
The Color Purple
30
Alice Walker
The Value in the Valley
The Value in the Valley
31
The Weary Blues
The Weary Blues
32
The White Boy Shuffle
The White Boy Shuffle
33
Their Eyes Were Watching God (Zora Neale Hurston)
Their Eyes Were Watching God
34
Zora Neale Hurston
White Teeth (Zadie Smith)
White Teeth
35
Zadie Smith
The Women of Brewster Place (Novel)
The Women of Brewster Place (Novel)
36
Zami (Audre Lorde)
Zami
37
Audre Lorde
The Warmth of Other Suns (Isabel Wilkerson)
The Warmth of Other Suns
38
Isabel Wilkerson
Sula (Toni Morrison)
Sula
39
Toni Morrison
King of the Cats
King of the Cats
40
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