INDEPENDENT READING.
I am unlike most English teachers in the sense that I have not always loved to read. As a child, I would have preferred playing outside. However, I did not hate reading either. It was merely an assignment that I would complete with minimal complaints. Nonetheless, as I grew older, I began to appreciate reading more and more. Reading gives me stories; and I love sharing in on other people's stories. I love trying to wrap my brain around the complexity of human existence and the stories that contribute to this unfathomable cat's cradle we call life. This webpage is for your reference when seeking inspiration or reading ideas. I love the English language arts as an academic discipline because it is so daunting. Even the most learned scholars will not have read every story ever written. In college, I personally preferred classic canonical texts. When I started teaching, I developed a soft spot for Young Adult literature and the writers who are attempting to utilize the YA title to spark divergent and critical thinking. During my sabbatical year, I was on a nonfiction kick- devoted my time mostly to memoirs and critical manifestos. And, as for research-based, theoretical texts, I have a slew of favorites.
FOR THE FUN OF IT.
How Well Do You Know the Classics?
https://www.buzzfeed.com/danieldalton/how-well-do-you-know-classic-literature?utm_term=.pbW8yMokj#.xe9vA8o0a
Can You Guess the Classic from the First Sentence?
https://www.buzzfeed.com/mackenziekruvant/can-you-guess-the-classic-novel-from-its-first-sentence?utm_term=.gdYApLw6r#.mjdZep06r
Only English Majors:
https://www.buzzfeed.com/jonmichaelpoff/can-we-guess-what-sport-you-play-and-your?utm_term=.so83bGMlv#.obOdAbLgo
Guess the Book Based on a Quotation:
https://www.buzzfeed.com/ahmedaliakbar/everything-was-beautiful-and-nothing-hurt?utm_term=.dkbEdwzWa#.naD7X40l8
How Well-Read Are You?
https://www.buzzfeed.com/ailbhemalone/how-well-read-are-you?utm_term=.hlJK4W1jz#.rxNGwaMNv
https://www.buzzfeed.com/danieldalton/how-well-do-you-know-classic-literature?utm_term=.pbW8yMokj#.xe9vA8o0a
Can You Guess the Classic from the First Sentence?
https://www.buzzfeed.com/mackenziekruvant/can-you-guess-the-classic-novel-from-its-first-sentence?utm_term=.gdYApLw6r#.mjdZep06r
Only English Majors:
https://www.buzzfeed.com/jonmichaelpoff/can-we-guess-what-sport-you-play-and-your?utm_term=.so83bGMlv#.obOdAbLgo
Guess the Book Based on a Quotation:
https://www.buzzfeed.com/ahmedaliakbar/everything-was-beautiful-and-nothing-hurt?utm_term=.dkbEdwzWa#.naD7X40l8
How Well-Read Are You?
https://www.buzzfeed.com/ailbhemalone/how-well-read-are-you?utm_term=.hlJK4W1jz#.rxNGwaMNv
FOUG'S CLASSROOM LIBRARY
Okay, below are images of the books available in my classroom. Half of them I've read... half of them I haven't read. BUT, if they look interesting, just try it. These books can be checked out in the classroom. However, reviews are digitally archived here.
SELECTED POETRY
SELECTED CLASSICS.
SELECTED NON-FICTION
SELECTED FICTION.
SELECTED NEW RELEASES.
BOOKS & STUFF.
I know that it is often hard to find a book that you love- a book that you could read over and over again and learn something new each time. I have a few of those books (Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist (1988), Yann Martel's Life of Pi (2001), The Bible, Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales (1384), Jeanette Wall's The Glass Castle (2005), Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937), Marilynne Robinson's Gilead (2004), and Octavia E. Butler's Kindred (1979)). Aside from those books, I still have books that I love, but only read once (David Treuer's Rez Life (2012), Eric Kandel's In Search of Memory: The Emergence of a New Science of the Mind (2006), Yaa Gyasi's Homegoing (2016), etc.). And, even further, I have a lot of books that I like, appreciate for some reason or another, and move on from (Trevor Noah's Born a Crime (2016), J.D. Vance's Hillbilly Elegy (2016), Brit Bennett's The Mothers (2016), etc.). Then, there are books that I hate (Kathy Acker's Blood and Guts in High School (1984), William Golding's Lord of the Flies (1954), Gertrude Stein's The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas (1933), etc.), books I don't understand (well- actually most of the misunderstandings fall into the category of contemporary poetry- by poets like Waldrop or Stein), and books that just aren't my style (Stephanie Meyer's writing style and stuff by Wyndam Lewis). While it is hard to find a book that will fit your top categories, it is also hard to find the time to read a whole bunch just to find out. So, if I can help point you in the right direction of a book based on your interests, let me know. I created this page to help you when you are searching for the "perfect" book or a new idea.
INDEPENDENT STUDY RESOURCES
Below you'll find the resources for the independent study course. This year, I am teaching Literary Movements elective course. So, bear with me as I juggle building a course from the bottom up and juggling the extra responsibilities of virtual and in-person teaching :) It's a lot, but we got this.
Week One
Week Four
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Week Two
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Week Three
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INDEPENDENT READING. We started the independent reading project. As you were perusing through the rows of books in the library, you were looking for suggestions and whatnot. You asked me what I liked to read. So... even though I know you probably won't like my reading preferences, I thought I would share. My reading tastes have evolved over the years.
E.P. Thompson's The Making of the English Working Class (1963) is on my reading list. I started reading David Olusoga's Black and British: A Forgotten History (2016) while I was living in London (I blinked and it's two years later). I need to finish it. The text reminds me of a more in-depth exploration of some of the history that manifests in Zadie Smith's White Teeth (2005). Tayeb Salih's Season of Migration to the North (1966) is deeply unsettling, but I think that is the point. It is also a mature text--- so maybe not the kind of text you read in high school, but the kind of text you add to your list for college reading days. The plot and characterizations are a metaphor for the impact of post-colonialism. Ben Judah's This is London: Life and Death in the World City (2016) was a Foyles (kind of like the Barnes & Noble of Great Britain) impulse buy. Ian McEwan's Saturday (2005) is worthy. If you like his style, you might also enjoy Atonement (2001). Haruki Murakami has a unique writing style as well. It's hard to articulate his style into words. However, if you haven't read any of his work, you might venture to check him out. Marilynne Robinson's Gilead (2006) is in my top twenty favorite texts. It has a very humbling and calming effect whenever I read it. The prose is beautifully crafted. Chuck Klosterman is just enjoyable all around- and super knowledgeable. He has the right amount of wit and research within his works- hallmark journalist. The Souls of Black Folk (1903) by W.E.B DuBois is a classic and foundational text. Timeless. If you like sociology, I would recommend this text. I'm not going to lie, I watched the Netflix film Tracks before getting the book. However, they are both enjoyable- camel trek through Australia. Yes. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls is in my top ten favorite books. If you haven't read it yet, it's one that I would highly recommend. I am looking forward to reading Janesville: An American Story (2017) by Amy Goldstein. Joan C. Williams wrote White Working Class: Overcoming Class Cluelessness in America (2017) as a companion text to J.D. Vance's Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis (2016). It's short and informative. I haven't read Janisse Ray's Ecology of a Cracker Childhood (2000) all the way through just yet. I read the beginning and I'm hooked. We will read Octavia Butler's Kindred (1979). It's one of my all-time favorite texts. Jame's McBride's The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother (1996) is a good memoir. It has a shout-out to Louisville. Hisham Aidi's Rebel Music: Race, Empire, & New Muslim Youth Culture (2014) is super informative. However, it can be a lot to digest in one sitting. Nonetheless, it's super insightful. Peter Woit's Not Even Wrong: The Failure of String Theory and the Search for Unity in Physical Law (2006) is a nice introductory text into understanding counterarguments against notions of string theory. It's a perspective I hadn't previously considered. Eric Kandel's autobiography In Search of Memory: The Emergence of a New Science of Mind (2006) is a foundational text for psychology people. Neuroscience has always fascinated me. Piggybacking off of that interest, V.S. Ramachandran's The Tell-Tale Brain: A Neuroscientist's Quest for What Makes Us Human (2011) is a more lively reflection of contemporary neuro-scientific research. I've been meaning to read Lisa Appignansei's Mad, Bad, & Sad: Women and the Mind Doctors (2007). It looks interesting. So, to answer the questions, these are the kind of books that I like to read.
E.P. Thompson's The Making of the English Working Class (1963) is on my reading list. I started reading David Olusoga's Black and British: A Forgotten History (2016) while I was living in London (I blinked and it's two years later). I need to finish it. The text reminds me of a more in-depth exploration of some of the history that manifests in Zadie Smith's White Teeth (2005). Tayeb Salih's Season of Migration to the North (1966) is deeply unsettling, but I think that is the point. It is also a mature text--- so maybe not the kind of text you read in high school, but the kind of text you add to your list for college reading days. The plot and characterizations are a metaphor for the impact of post-colonialism. Ben Judah's This is London: Life and Death in the World City (2016) was a Foyles (kind of like the Barnes & Noble of Great Britain) impulse buy. Ian McEwan's Saturday (2005) is worthy. If you like his style, you might also enjoy Atonement (2001). Haruki Murakami has a unique writing style as well. It's hard to articulate his style into words. However, if you haven't read any of his work, you might venture to check him out. Marilynne Robinson's Gilead (2006) is in my top twenty favorite texts. It has a very humbling and calming effect whenever I read it. The prose is beautifully crafted. Chuck Klosterman is just enjoyable all around- and super knowledgeable. He has the right amount of wit and research within his works- hallmark journalist. The Souls of Black Folk (1903) by W.E.B DuBois is a classic and foundational text. Timeless. If you like sociology, I would recommend this text. I'm not going to lie, I watched the Netflix film Tracks before getting the book. However, they are both enjoyable- camel trek through Australia. Yes. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls is in my top ten favorite books. If you haven't read it yet, it's one that I would highly recommend. I am looking forward to reading Janesville: An American Story (2017) by Amy Goldstein. Joan C. Williams wrote White Working Class: Overcoming Class Cluelessness in America (2017) as a companion text to J.D. Vance's Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis (2016). It's short and informative. I haven't read Janisse Ray's Ecology of a Cracker Childhood (2000) all the way through just yet. I read the beginning and I'm hooked. We will read Octavia Butler's Kindred (1979). It's one of my all-time favorite texts. Jame's McBride's The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother (1996) is a good memoir. It has a shout-out to Louisville. Hisham Aidi's Rebel Music: Race, Empire, & New Muslim Youth Culture (2014) is super informative. However, it can be a lot to digest in one sitting. Nonetheless, it's super insightful. Peter Woit's Not Even Wrong: The Failure of String Theory and the Search for Unity in Physical Law (2006) is a nice introductory text into understanding counterarguments against notions of string theory. It's a perspective I hadn't previously considered. Eric Kandel's autobiography In Search of Memory: The Emergence of a New Science of Mind (2006) is a foundational text for psychology people. Neuroscience has always fascinated me. Piggybacking off of that interest, V.S. Ramachandran's The Tell-Tale Brain: A Neuroscientist's Quest for What Makes Us Human (2011) is a more lively reflection of contemporary neuro-scientific research. I've been meaning to read Lisa Appignansei's Mad, Bad, & Sad: Women and the Mind Doctors (2007). It looks interesting. So, to answer the questions, these are the kind of books that I like to read.
SHORT CUTS.
Since I've been teaching for a minute or two, I know which books usually get the most attention. Therefore, I will list those below so that you can know about the en vogue texts among my former students. However, just for the record, I am not including all of the Harry Potter books, Lord of the Rings books, Twilight books, Hunger Games books, or Divergent books in my list, but just know they are still popular (and you might like them if you haven't read those series yet). If you click on one of the titles listed below, it will take you to the Goodreads review webpage. Then, you can gauge whether it sounds like something you would like or not. Also, as a disclaimer, if there's a movie, I've probably read the book and seen the movie. So, if you select one of these for an assignment, I will be able to tell if you've simply watched the film and not read the book.
MY GO-TO LIST.
I guess all English teachers probably have a go-to mental list of recommendations. Here is mine:
You want something short, but deep: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
You want something with a weird, but cool concept: Everyday by David Leviathan
You want a psychological thriller: The Girl on a Train by Paula Hawkins
You want a page-turning memoir: The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls
You want another page-turning memoir: Educated by Tara Westover
You want a hybrid between sci-fi and historical fiction: Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
You want something that looks at Black culture in and outside of the U.S.: Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
You want something that discusses abortions and the stress placed on young girls: The Mothers by Britt Bennett
You want a historical fiction text that reads like a psychological thriller: All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
You want a sports book that intersects with contemporary issues: After the Shot Drops by Randy Ribay
You want a heart-wrenching text about the power of one decision: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
You want something sci-fi and futuristic: Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
You want something sci-fi and annoying and intriguing at the same time: Feed by M.T. Anderson
You want that completely revolutionizes the way you read: Dictee by Theresa Hak Kyung Cha
You want another one that challenges conventional writing styles: A Girl is a Half-Formed Thing by Eimear McBride
You want a kind-of-sad, but mostly happy book: A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
You want a student-recommended book: Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
You want another student-recommended book: Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Sanfran Foer
You want another book that is the same genre as Night: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
You want something like Outliers: Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell
You want something that is trending on Target bookshelves: I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika Sanchez
You want something that isn't listed above: Ask me. I'll either give you a recommendation or seek out people who can.
You want something short, but deep: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
You want something with a weird, but cool concept: Everyday by David Leviathan
You want a psychological thriller: The Girl on a Train by Paula Hawkins
You want a page-turning memoir: The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls
You want another page-turning memoir: Educated by Tara Westover
You want a hybrid between sci-fi and historical fiction: Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
You want something that looks at Black culture in and outside of the U.S.: Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
You want something that discusses abortions and the stress placed on young girls: The Mothers by Britt Bennett
You want a historical fiction text that reads like a psychological thriller: All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
You want a sports book that intersects with contemporary issues: After the Shot Drops by Randy Ribay
You want a heart-wrenching text about the power of one decision: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
You want something sci-fi and futuristic: Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
You want something sci-fi and annoying and intriguing at the same time: Feed by M.T. Anderson
You want that completely revolutionizes the way you read: Dictee by Theresa Hak Kyung Cha
You want another one that challenges conventional writing styles: A Girl is a Half-Formed Thing by Eimear McBride
You want a kind-of-sad, but mostly happy book: A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
You want a student-recommended book: Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
You want another student-recommended book: Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Sanfran Foer
You want another book that is the same genre as Night: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
You want something like Outliers: Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell
You want something that is trending on Target bookshelves: I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika Sanchez
You want something that isn't listed above: Ask me. I'll either give you a recommendation or seek out people who can.
IF YOU LIKE: DYSTOPIAN
If you are into dystopian literature, there is such a wide range of texts to choose from. First, you should read the classics: H.G. Well's The Time Machine (1895), Aldous Huxley's Brave New World (1932), Ayn Rand's Anthem (1938), George Orwell's 1984 (1949), Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 (1953), Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five (1969), Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale (1985), Alan Moore's V is for Vendetta (1989), Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game (1985), and Lois Lowry's The Giver (1993). Then, once you have your classic backdrop of the dystopian genre, move into more contemporary works of dystopian fiction: M.T. Andersen's Feed (2002), James Dashner's The Maze Runner (2009), Edan Lepucki's California (2014), and Nnedi Okorafor's The Book of Phoenix (2015). Then, you have the dystopian series: Suzanne Collins's The Hunger Games Trilogy (2008), Ally Condie's Matched Trilogy (2010), Marie Lu's Legend Trilogy (2011), Veronica Roth's Divergent Trilogy (2011), and Lauren Oliver's Delirium Trilogy (2011).
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I realized lately that I rarely put a face to a book in my memory. Sometimes I do... but often times, I only have my own mental creations of the characters within the book that I carry with me through time. However, I've recently started to make a greater effort to begin paying closer attention to the great minds behind these wonderful creations. Below, you can begin to put a face to the book you are reading and also contextualize (historically) the timeframe in which the text was first published.
H.G. Wells
The Time Machine (1895) Kurt Vonnegut
Slaughterhouse Five (69) James Dashner
The Maze Runner (2009) M.T. Andersen
Feed (2002) |
Aldous Huxley
Brave New World (1932) Ayn Rand
Anthem (1938) Margaret Atwood
The Handmaid's Tale (85) Suzanne Collins
The Hunger Games (2011) |
Ray Bradbury
Fahrenheit 451 (1953) Orson Scott Card
Ender's Game (1985) Lois Lowery
The Giver (1993) Veronica Roth
Divergent Trilogy (2011) |
George Orwell
1984 (1949) Edan Lepucki
California (2014) Lauren Oliver
Delirium Trilogy (2011) Ally Condie
Matched Trilogy (2011) |
Personal Reflection.
My top three favorite works of dystopian fiction (in novel form) are: (1) George Orwell's 1984; (2) M.T. Andersen's Feed; and (3) a toss up between Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game and Ayn Rand's Anthem. I still have yet to read some of the above texts. However, dystopian is not my favorite genre, so I tend to consume more texts from other genres. Nonetheless, it is really interesting to see how there is a resurgence of the genre predominantly in trilogies and predominantly written by white, female writers. This seems like a pattern, especially if we look at the year 2011. If dystopian literature is your thing and you read one of the books above, or think I definitely need to add something to my list, let me know. I am always up for new suggestions and to hear your interpretation of a text.
IF YOU LIKE: RECENT(ISH) POETRY
There is a lot of wonderful poetry out there, and this is by no means a comprehensive overview. These are just a few poets that you might be interested in discovering. Mina Loy (an often-time overlooked modernist poet) and Robert Frost are the only modernists poets on this list. However, I think the differences between their poetic styles and messages will give you an idea of the vast compendium of writing that happened during the early modernist timeframe (1850-1914). June Jordan and Gwendolyn Brooks are phenomenal poets- many years ahead of their time writing about racial injustice. If you haven't read Jordan's "A Poem About My Rights," it is worth your time. Richard Siken, Julia Alvarez, Ron Padgett, and Kathy Park Hong are all contemporary poets writing about contemporary experiences. Siken has a really excellent poem called "You Are Jeff." Warsan Shire wrote the poetry that Beyonce used in her Lemonade album. Ron Padgett wrote the poetry for the recent film Paterson (on Amazon). Luci Tapahonso is the first Navajo poet laureate. Alice Notley is widely overlooked in contemporary realms of study. And, I included Bob Dylan, because his song lyrics are rich with deeper meaning (see "Desolation Row").
Mina Loy
[Modernist Poet] "Parturition" Warsan Shire
[Contemporary Poet] "Denial" Gwendolyn Brooks
[Contemporary Poet] "The Mother" |
Julia Alvarez
[Contemporary Poet] "Heroics" Luci Tapahonso
[Contemporary Poet] "Hard to Take" Ron Padgett
[Contemporary Poet] "We Have Plenty of Matches..." |
Richard Siken
[Contemporary Poet] "You Are Jeff" Robert Frost
[Modernist Poet] "The Road Not Taken" Cathy Park Hong
[Contemporary Poet] "Ensor" |
June Jordan
[Contemporary Poet] "A Poem About My Rights" Alice Notley
[Contemporary Poet] "Because He Says I Misunderstood" Bob Dylan
[Songwriter/Poet] "Desolation Row" |
IF YOU LIKE: AUTOBIO. MEMOIRS
Remember: The difference between a personal narrative and a memoir is the number of life events under review. Personal Narrative = ONE event or memory. Memoir = MANY events and memories. Even though memoir writing is the en vogue stage in literary publications, I still love reading about events and perspectives that exist outside of a world of fictive imagination. There is an interesting debate between whether or not we can 'count' memoirs as entirely nonfiction, since they are created by individuals with the potential to manipulate the 'truth' of an event in their interpretation. And then, there is the whole distinction between first-fiction accounts and autobiographical memoirs. However, I take a somewhat post-modernist stance in my regard to keeping memoirs in a realm of nonfiction. I think the way you interpret the world around you (your reality) is your truth. Now, of course, I have my caveats and limitations on that baseline understanding. So, don't be snarky and try to use that as an excuse to get out of doing class work. You know who you are. However, if we count history books as exemplary models of nonfiction, then we should also count memoirs as exemplary models of nonfiction. Both the authors of history books and memoirs piece together information about events that happened in real life and use the language available to express their understanding of that gathered (and/or experienced) information.
WHAT TO READ.
Since autobiographical memoirs are so popular, there is a vast plethora of options to choose from in literary circulation. Nevertheless, here are my suggestions: If you want to test-taste the genre in a chronological fashion, you should start with James McBride's The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother (1995) and Frank McCourt's Angela's Ashes (1996). While both tie to New York, McBride's considers racial tensions in the United States during his childhood, and McCourt's considers his childhood in Ireland. Then, I suggest reading Marjane Satrapi's autobiographical graphic novel, Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood (2000), which visually delineates her childhood in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. Following that, you should definitely read (and I always recommend this text) The Glass Castle (2005) by Jeanette Walls, which is different from the movie in a deeper, inexplicable way. Then, onto more contemporary texts, you have J.D. Vance's Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis (2016), which talks about Appalachian hillbilly culture expanding into Ohio and the historical trauma that poverty creates, and Trevor Noah's Born a Crime (2016), his autobiographical recount of growing up in South Africa, mixed race, during and after Apartheid. Then, most recently from last year, we have Tara Westover's Educated (2017), about growing up off the grid and mental health, as well as Angela Palm's Riverine: A Memoir From Anywhere But Here (2017), which discusses the deep connection between her and a boy growing up near the Kankakee River in Demotte, Indiana.
IF YOU LIKE: AFRICAN AM. LIT.
So, I've read a lot of books recognized under the umbrella term 'African American Literature.' I have mixed feelings about identifying these phenomenal texts this way, because it implicitly racializes the literature. However, since this is the way you will most likely recognize this canon, I will use the phrase until something else replaces it in the mainstream of academia. All that to say, some of my favorite books live under this category. Of course, most scholars are quick to identify African American literature within Critical Race Theory (a field of literary criticism that studies the power relationship in a Black/nonblack binary). Then, of course, we must acknowledge Afro-Pessimist views regarding racial and social injustice in the United States. DuBois calls the situation of the African American a lived existence of dual consciousness (paradoxical in theory, but very real in the experiences of Blacks living within the U.S.). Nonetheless, it is not the racial capitalist neocolonial themes that circulate directly and indirectly in these texts that draw my attention. On the contrary, Hurston's lyrical writing, deep symbolism, and beautiful prose captures me every time I read Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937). And, I never grow old of reading the historically-packed novel Kindred (1979), the first work of African American science fiction published by a woman (Octavia E. Butler). It is the writing style, the deeper philosophies, the humanness, the inter-relatability between myself and the characters that captures my interest. The characterization in Gyasi's Homegoing (2016) is excellent. I still find myself remembering bits from that novel when something else I'm reading triggers a thought that surfaced in her text. It took me several times to get through Ellison's Invisible Man (1952), because the prose was so rich with deeper meaning that I had to read slowly to catch everything. Even then, I know I missed details. When I need to remind myself about the value and privilege of education and teaching, my go-to is The Souls of Black Folk (1903) by W.E.B. DuBois. Below is a starting point for literary productions associated with this realm.
W.E.B. DuBois
The Souls of Black Folk (1903) Booker T. Washington
Up From Slavery (1901) Ralph Ellison
Invisible Man (1952) Maya Angelou
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969) James McBride
The Color of Water (1995) |
James Weldon Johnson
The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man (1912) Zora Neale Hurston
Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937) Chinua Achebe
Things Fall Apart (1958) Octavia E. Butler
Kindred (1979) Yaa Gyasi
Homegoing (2016) |
Frederick Douglass
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (1845) Richard Wright
Native Son (1940) Lorraine Hansberry
A Raisin in the Sun (1959) Alice Walker
The Color Purple (1982) Brit Bennett
The Mothers (2016) |
James Baldwin
Go Tell It On a Mountain (1953) Henry Dumas
Echo Tree: Collected Short Fiction Alex Haley
The Autobiography of Malcolm X (1965) Toni Morrison
Beloved (1987) Zadie Smith
On Beauty (2005) |
HERE IS HOW YOU START:
You start with the foundational texts: The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (Douglass 1845), Up From Slavery (Washington 1901), The Souls of Black Folk (DuBois 1903), and The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man (Johnson 1912). Then, you move onto Hurston and Wright, the pre-Harlem Renaissance writers, modernist and ahead of their time in Their Eyes Were Watching God (Hurston 1937) and Native Son (Wright 1940). I like to pair them up, because Wright was anti-Hurston, and that makes it interesting. Then, we stroll into the 1950s with Ralph Ellison (named after Ralph Waldo Emerson) and his iconic and timeless, Invisible Man (1952), James Baldwin's Go Tell It On a Mountain (1953), Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart (1958), introducing pan-Africanism into the mainstream literary world, and Lorraine Hansberry's play, A Raisin in the Sun (1959), a happy ending for a change. Following that, you should read the work of Henry Dumas, Alex Haley's The Autobiography of Malcolm X (1965), and Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969). Switching over to the next few decades, we get the works of Octavia E. Butler, Alice Walker, and Toni Morrison. Just read everything they write. But, specifically: The Color Purple (1982) by Walker, The Bluest Eye (1970), Beloved (1987), and Song of Solomon (1977) by Morrison, and obviously, if I haven't made this clear yet, Kindred (1979) by Butler. Then, you've got the contemporary works: McBride's The Color of Water (1995) (see memoir section), Smith's On Beauty (2004)- Smith is British, but this text is set in Massachusetts, Gyasi's Homegoing (2016), and Bennett's The Mothers (2016).