Twenty-Eight Black History Month Books That Should Be on Your Bookshelf
My new year’s resolution for 2016 was to STOP buying books until I read all the ones I already had. That lasted until February. In fact, 2016 ended up being my most well-read year since fourth grade. It’s the best resolution I ever broke. During that time, I read a slew of books that made it to this Black History Month Books List.
Last year, I felt like I discovered a whole new world within black literature. In my first 13 years of school, only two black authors appeared on my reading list (and one was optional). Although I may be late to the black literary game, I know there are other folks like me who could benefit from knowing these titles. While reading Baldwin, I wondered how much richer and poetic American literature we’d share in our libraries today had America not missed the opportunity by outlawing literacy from 3.2 million individuals. While Reading Frederick Douglas, I realized nothing that is being discussed today about the racial climate is unique to what Frederick Douglas discussed nearly 200 years ago.
February 21, 1965
February 21, 1965
From a historian’s perspective (as opposed to a literary scholar), I consider these books the cannon of Black American Literature with historical significance. And Just in time for Black History Month, I wanted to share and give others the resources to learn. I know you won’t have the time to conquer all 28 in 28 days, however, if this month inspires you to purchase (or the more economical option—check out) the books, you’ll have them accessible to read or reference for rest of the year. Books not on the shelf are books that won’t get read. Music If you’ve missed it, I’ve already blogged a children’s reading list.
1. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave (an Autobiography)
Without sugar-coated sweetness, Frederick Douglas speaks frankly on the common practices of slavery that he experienced in this memoir supporting abolition. Although hundreds of slave narratives were written prior to the start of the Civil War, Fredrick Douglas’ is one considered an American classic. The religious hypocrisy of slave owners is a recurring theme throughout the text. As the slave son of a white slave owner, Douglas is sold and leased out around the Maryland and Virginia area before making his escape to New York and later Bedford, Mass. His story is remarkable. He also has three others, but start with this one.
2. Up From Slavery by Booker T. Washington
A segment of this was assigned as required reading back in college. Nearly a whole decade later I finally got around to actually reading the whole thing (Hey, college students are very busy)… and my mind was blown! He’s a seriously sappy, gracious, bleeding-heart kind of writer. Unlike Frederick Douglas who seized and opportunity to escape, Booker T. Washington was freed at the end of the Civil War. The places he traveled, the people he met, and how he was able to manipulate the system to make it work for him as a black man during Reconstruction America and Jim Crow America are really quite remarkable.
3. The Souls of Black Folks byW.E.B. DuBois
Written during a time when there was public debate on whether black people had souls, readers might conclude the purpose of the book is to humanize people who had been considered real estate just 40 years earlier. You have to read Up From Slavery first, to fully appreciate W. E. B. DuBois’ epic takedown of all Booker T’s methodology and beliefs on education in one pointed chapter. Fortunately, there’s a book called “Three Negro Classics” that maintains both works together conveniently so you can flip back and forth as a reference. Additionally, this is where W.E. B. DuBois introduces the concept of double consciousness, which is an important concept and theme to understand for all other African-American literature on this list. These three books should be read independently but with the relationship of the Authors’ and their diverse backgrounds in mind. You’ve got a fugitive, formerly enslaved man, a man freed at the end of sanctioned slavery, and a pedigreed man born in a free society, all giving their perspectives, which, of course, will be born from their experiences.
4. The Miseducation of the Negro by Carter G. Woodson
Carter G. Woodson is considered the Father of Black History. He was one of the first to study the history of African-Americans, earning a degree from Berea College (in Kentucky) before attaining a PhD from Harvard. He also established Negro History Week in 1926, which evolved into Black History Month. So, of course, he’d be on my list of Black History Month Books. The miseducation he speaks of hinges on the education system’s failure to present an authentic black history in schools. There’s a scarcity of literature and humanities, distortion of facts, and overall erasure of black presence in the curriculum. When black people do appear in the school curriculum, it is in a menial, subordinate, inhuman role. Schooling thus becomes cultural indoctrination for white students and cultural subordination for black students rather than education.
5. The Autobiography of an Ex-colored Man by James Weldon Johnson
This is a historical fiction based on real-life events of the reconstruction era. It discusses the horrific events that happened in America that led to the decision to no longer be black. The themes of loss of black childhood innocence through racial awakening are timeless throughout American history. It also introduces the three-tier economic class system within the Black American society in which most white people didn’t recognize at the time of publication. The story also brings up the complexities and sacrifices of passing as white.
6. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Ann Jacobs
According to historian Henry Louis Gates, before the end of the Civil War, more than one hundred former slaves published moving stories of their captivities and their escape. No group of enslaved people anywhere during any other era left such a prolific testimony to the horror of their bondage and servitude. Many slave narratives, including Fredrick Douglas, speak of the commonality of slave rapes. But Harriot speaks to the dynamic, turmoil, and madness such actions and the potential of rape brings to all the women of the household—wives and enslaved girls.
7. Go Tell it on the Mountain by James Baldwin
Why on Earth did I wait so long to be introduced to James Baldwin? I’ve never wanted to be part of a writer’s social circle more than when reading any essay by this literary legend. The way he writes of being young, black, and gifted in Harlem and the impact of the church on black American lives is not only artistically talented but timeless in its themes. There’s plenty of Baldwin out there but here is a good place to start. I enjoyed the thought-provoking layers of how sex and religion are intertwined in society Baldwin displayed in the reading. We get to witness a lot culture in this book. There’s plenty of Baldwin out there but here is a good place to start.
8. Native Son by Richard Wright
This was one of two books written by an African-American that made it on my school’s reading list in 13 years (and it was an optional summer reading). The title is a condemnation of American society. Bigger Thomas, the novel’s protagonist, is a “native son” of America—born and raised under the conditions of a black man in America, he is the product of the societal norms of the country. Local cultural and social forces shaped, created and led him to make the decisions he made. There is no nostalgia or romanticism in this direct critique of American society. This book must be read back to back with a James Baldwin work. If Twitter was a thing during mid-20th century America, we’d be sure to see some beef between these two, just like we saw with Washington and Dubois. So it is helpful to read them with the memory of the other writer in mind.
9. Autobiography of Malcolm X
After reading Native Son, Malcolm will stand out as another example of America’s Native Son. To actually know Malcolm X, is to go to the primary source and see for yourself rather than the opinions of someone who may not have even met him. Plus he had some help by Alex Haley (author of Roots and Queen).
10. Martin and Malcolm and America: A Dream or A Nightmare by James H. Cone As far as Black History Month books are concerned, this one is pivotal. Read this book after reading Malcolm’s biography (ok, who am I kidding? Most are just going to watch the movie…but I implore you to buy the book at least for reference!). This was required reading for my African American History course at the University of Kentucky. I re-read the book again this past Kwanzaa. After eight years of a changed perspective, I still find it relevant and a must. This book examines the legacies of two of the most influential leaders of last century. All too often, commentators ask, “What would MLK say?” about today’s issues. You cannot know Martin without the study of Malcolm, and yet Malcolm is not studied in schools.
Key Quote:“In order to offset Malcolm’s appeal to the black community, Martin was adopted as the darling of their white liberal community and was portrayed by the media as the ideal black leader.”
11. Black Power: The Politics of Liberation by Kwame Ture (Formerly Known as Stokely Carmichael) and Charles V. Hamilton.
I still have the “used” Wildcat Textbooks sticker for $10.40 on my copy. It’s one of the few required readings I maintained from college. Before coming to conclusions on the Black Panther Party based on the assessment of J. Edgar Hoover, read this book to get the full picture. This Black History Month book breaks down the Black Panther Party from those most intimately involved with the organization, which is the best source of information.
Key Quote: “Nevertheless, some observers have labeled those who advocate black power as racists; they have said the call for self-identification SELF DETERMINATION IS “RACISM IN REVERSE” OR “BLACK SUPREMACY.” This is a deliberate and absurd lie. There is no analogy-by any stretch of definition or imagination-between the advocates of Black Power and white racists. Racism is not merely exclusion on the basis of race but exclusion for the purpose of subjecting or maintaining subjugation. The goal of the racists is to keep black people on the bottom arbitrarily and dictatorially, as they have in this country for over three hundred years. The goal of black self-determination and BLACK SELF-IDENTITY — BLACK Power — is full participation in the decision making process affecting the lives of black people, and recognition of the virtues in themselves as black people.” P. 47
12. African-American Poetry: An Anthology 1773-1927 edited by Joan R. Sherman
This thin paperback is marked as only $1. It’s a creative walk through American history, starting with Phillis Wheatley, who was kidnapped from Senegal or Gambia and arrived in Boston from the ship called “Phillis” in 1761 and later became America’s first published African). It also includes the Lift Every Voice and Sing (The Negro National Anthem) by James Weldon Johnson. It was coined as The Negro National Anthem in 1919, twelve years before the Federal Government adopted the Star Spangled Banner. Never was the Negro National Anthem ever discussed in 20 years of school. Not even in Arts and Humanities. That is just another motivation for compiling this Black History Month Books list. To help close that gap in understanding and history.
Key Poems:
Lift Every Voice and Sing by James Weldon Johnson
Not A Man, And Yet A Man, by fellow Kentuckian Alberry Alston Whitman (Hart County)
I, Too by Langston Hughes
Mother to Son by Langston Hughes
If We Must Die by Claude McKay
Sympathy by PLD (born of previously enslaved Parents from Kentucky)
13. The Collected Poetry of Paul Laurence Dunbar,edited by Joanne M. Braxton This book has been on my bookshelf since childhood. I actually think it belongs to my mom, technically…but hey, what’s her’s is mine, right? One of my favorites, “Negro Love Song” (page 49 in my edition), is not included in the African American Poetry Anthology. It must be recited in call-and-answer form.
14. Annie Allen by Gwendolyn BrooksI got a text message from a friend at a crazy hour while I slept (OK, so it was like 10:30p but still, I’m over 30).When I responded the next morning, “Why are you up so late?” I got the reply, “I lurk late,” accompanied by a SoundCloud audio of Ms. Brooks herself performing We Real Cool. I love that I have a friend who sends me the work of Pulitzer Prize-winning poets via text. As far as poetry is concerned, her’s is a collection that should be on your shelf.
15. Invisible Manby Ralph Ellison
I was out to diner in Dayton, OH with the same friend mentioned above who spotted this book haphazardly tossed the top of the garbage can beside the entry of a restaurant.
“Hey, this is a black book,” He said.
We stepped outside and noticed we were right across the street from a giant bookstore. “Someone probably stole this book from that bookstore, realized it was about black people and threw it away here,” he hypothesized.
We both recognized finding this book as a treasure. He also mentioned he had no intention of reading it. It caused a minor debate on who should get to keep it, since it wasn’t going to get read if it went home with him. It still went home with him. I got to Amazon my own copy. Invisible Man deals with social issues of black people in 1950s America and is, predictably, timeless in its exploration of individuality and personal identity.
16. I know Why the Caged Bird Sings– Maya Angelou This autobiographical journey depicts how Maya Angelou overcame insecurities, inferiority complexes, and youthful traumas into a self-actualized, respectable woman. Literature was her saving grace. The title was inspired by a line in a Langston Hughes poem.
17. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neal Hurston This is the one and only book with black characters written by a black author who was assigned reading in school. On the first day of AP English, we were asked what made us choose our two choices from our four options on the summer reading list. One of my books was Richard Wright’s Native Son so, I frankly announced that it’s senior year and it’s the first time I’d been assigned a black author.
It’s important to know that I’d spent all summer at the Governor’s Scholars program, where I had black peers for the first time and spent time with students from Central High School (Historically Black high school in Louisville…and National Black History Academic Team Champions to 50 years in a row…or however many). The teacher’s face gave her away. After that, Ms. Hurston found her way in our class reading. It’s a country folk love story featuring a good-looking, spirited, black woman who doesn’t follow any of the conventions set for women at the time. First published in 1937, it was out of print for nearly 30 years when the University of Illinois Press reissued it in 1978, at which time it was instantly embraced by the literary establishment as one of the greatest works in the canon of American fiction.
18. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
This is the first novel by the Noble Prize for Literature-winning author. You know you’re in for a good read when you have a Nobel Prize Winner on the banned books list. Written while a professor at Howard in 1970, the book takes place in 1941 rural Ohio and discusses issues such as racism, incest, and child molestation. She explores the concepts of “colonization of the mind,” identity, classism within a race, and European standards of beauty versus black beauty standards in American society. My friend, Megan, invited me to her class in college where they were discussing this book (I think she got extra credit for bringing a friend). I think to get the most out of this book is to read and discuss with people with different perspectives so you don’t miss key points.
19. Great Speeches by African Americans, edited by James Daley
The collection begins with Henry Highland Garnet’s 1843, “An Address to the Slaves of the United States of America,” and continues with two centuries of orations on freedom in America. I think college and high school English and History classes are missing out on so much intellectual wealth by not critically examining these powerful, moving, and timeless speeches. After so many discussions in 2016 it became apparent that I wasn’t saying anything new. I wasn’t saying anything that Frederick Douglas had not already mentioned on July 5, 1852 or Mary Church Terrell described in “What it Means to Be Colored in the Capitol of the United States” in 1906. Sojourner Truth’s Aint I A Woman did come to mind on January 21, 2017 (during the woman’s march). I do wish the book included more speeches by King and more X and at least something from Michelle Obama, but this is one book that could really do so much in closing gaps of understanding.
20. Dreams From My Father: A Story of Race And Inheritance by Barack Obama
This book follows the identity struggle of Barack Obama, the man, not the legend or political figure. His story reflects the experience of all Black Americans exploring their identity in America through the lens of double consciousness with the added hurdles of being the son of an absent African father and a white American mother who grows up as the only black person in his family and lives in Hawaii and later Indonesia. In his search for a workable meaning to his life, he travels to Africa and ends up in the South Side of Chicago as a Black American.
21. Black Feeling, Black Talk by Nikki Giovanni
Nikki Giovanni came into prominence after unleashing her heart on paper in response to the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, Medgar Evers, and Robert Kennedy, and the pressing need she saw to raise awareness of the plight and the rights of black people. After the death of Malcolm X on February 21, 1965, Black American activists fell into two camps: Revolutionary Nationalists and Cultural Nationalists. Nikki Giovanni was a headliner in the Cultural Nationalist movement, using the arts to reflect pride in African American history, identity, and culture. Nikki is undoubtedly an intellectual. But before that, she is Black and a woman whose talent with words is merged with the universal Black experience. Her poems reflect the arts and history of the time. BTW, there’s a two-hour conversation between Nikki and James Baldwin available on YouTube. It’s profound. And again, their experiences in 1970 are the same and relatable as black experiences in America today.
22. The Rose That Grew from Concrete by Tupac Shakur
Tupac Shakur’s most intimate and honest thoughts were uncovered only after his death with the instant classic The Rose That Grew from Concrete. Written in his own handwriting and with a foreword by Nikki Giovanni, you get to close to the heart of the young lyricist before he came into the limelight.
23. Once Upon A Time When We Were Colored by Clifton Taulbert
The story of a young boy growing up in Mississippi during 1950s. It’s a story of family warmth and nostalgia and youthful innocence protected from the harshness of the American reality. This book captures a snapshot of the time of our country.
24. The Wife of His Youth and Other Stories by Charles W. Chestnut
This story explores colorism and introduces the Blue Vein Society. It continues the themes of timeless struggles of identity and acceptance as a black person in America.
25. Our Kind of People: Inside America’s Black Upper Class by Lawrence Otis Graham
Debutante cotillions, the right schools, families, social clubs, and skin complexion. This is the world of the black upper class and the focus of the first book written about the black elite by a member of this hard-to-penetrate group.
26. The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
In the era of colorblindness, it is no longer socially permissible to use race, explicitly as a justification for discrimination, exclusion, and social contempt. Yet, as legal star Michelle Alexander reveals, today it is perfectly legal to discriminate against convicted criminals in nearly all the ways that it was once legal to discriminate against African Americans. Once you’re labeled a felon, the old forms of discrimination—employment discrimination, housing discrimination, denial of the right to vote, denial of educational opportunity, denial of food stamps and other public benefits, and exclusion from jury service—are suddenly legal.
27. Roots: The Saga of An American Family by Alex Haley This Pulitzer Prize-winning epic was turned into a heavy miniseries that did not romanticize the reality of the slave-holding South. Although parts conflicted with genealogy work, and parts also were proved plagiarized, this work ignited a new fuel to African-American history and African-American genealogy work. Of course, due to poor documentation of African-American families, contradictions would be expected. My dear cousin read this entire work for a high school book report — significantly more pages than anyone else. And despite being encouraged to just watch the movie, of course, she got the emotion that the miniseries couldn’t capture. I encourage others to do the same.
This book was received into our family as a Kwanzaa gift to my dad from a family friend. In the inscription, she wrote:
“I am overwhelmed by all the life lessons you have taught me over the years. You epitomize the motto: It takes a village to raise a child.”
She went on to speak of her days being the only black student at the same high school I attended (although she graduated several years before I enrolled) on the same all-white dance team as me, attending the same predominantly white university, and even working in tech in California like me and how it framed her expedition on The African Continent. She visited the village of Alex Haley’s legacy and felt compelled to share the enlightening experience with those closest to her. The book has accompanied me through 5 different homes before I read it just last year.
This American story begins with 33 chapters of self-determination and autonomy in The Gambia, followed by seven chapters of horrors of on board a slave ship, then dedicated to 79 chapters documenting the American experience of an African family.
Key Quote: “Kunta wondered if he had gone mad. Naked, chained, shackled, he awoke on his back between two other men in a pitch darkness full of steamy heat and sickening stink and a nightmarish bedlam of shrieking, weeping, praying and vomiting. He could feel and smell his own vomit on his chest and belly. His whole body was one spasm of pain from the beatings he had received in the four days since his capture. But the place where the hot iron had been put between his shoulders hurt the worst.”
28. Articulate While Black: Barack Obama, Language, and Race in he U.S. by Geneva Smitherman and H. Samy Alim
This reading is a study of linguistic studies. It makes the theisis that Obama owes his election success largly in his abilities to successfully coat-switch from a Washington insider to culturally Black modes of conversation. In addition to breaking down the necessity of linguistic code-switching, it goes into an unsugar-coated synopsis of American history.
Optional Reading
These last Black History Month Books are significant in American race-relations and historic literature. They capture the Black American experience from a white perspective. In some cases, like “To Kill A Mocking Bird” the entire book centers around the fate of a black man but his voice and autonomy is silenced throughout the entire novel. In most cases, you’ve probably already read them in school.
1. To Kill A Mocking Bird by Harper Lee
2. Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriot Beecher Stowe
3. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
4. Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin
What other books do you think should be on the Black History Month Books list? Comment below so I can check them out and add them to a later book list.
2 Comments
Great library Char!
February 6, 2020 at 7:37 pmI appreciate that!
March 25, 2020 at 11:28 am