February is Black History Month which is the perfect time to highlight some incredible African American authors. These five books are a mixture of fiction and nonfiction and are great choices for both adult and older young adult readers.
Two sisters in rural Georgia are separated as young girls, each growing up without their beloved sister to support them. Communication is first started with letters from Celie to God but then change to letters to each other, neither sister forgetting about the other despite the distance. The Color Purple spins many narratives inside the main narrative, each female character telling their own story but still interconnected with the other women in the book. Full of struggles and hardships, like abusive relationships and poverty, these women learn how to rise above with resilience and strength. This book is available through the Azalea Regional Library System.
Their Eyes were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston was first published in 1937 and is considered one of the most widely read and beloved novels in African American fiction. Janie Crawford wants to be completely herself, but it seems like all the people in her life are trying to hold her back and make her fit into a premade, generic mold, even her first two husbands. While on her journey to discover her identity, Janie learns how to stand up for herself and how to be unabashedly her own person. This book is available through the Azalea Regional Library System.
Make Me Rain is a beautiful collection of poems and prose all written by Nikki Giovanni. Focusing on her black heritage, the author explores the realities of racism and white nationalism in the United States. Her works are unapologetic and she loudly denounces the actions of those present and past who have hurt this country and its people. This book is a great choice for those looking for a shorter read or who enjoy poetic works. This book is available through the Azalea Regional Library System.
"I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me." Traveling from the Deep South to Harlem, the unnamed protagonist takes us on journey to discover his own identity, not the one given to him by society. Yet it seems that even in New York, he is controlled and manipulated by the city and people around him. All out brawls, communist meetings and everything in between keep both the protagonist and reader guessing and searching for the answers to some of life's biggest questions. This book is available through the Azalea Regional Library System.
This book list would be incomplete without a nonfiction book telling the true story of the Great Migration. From 1915 to 1970, almost six million African Americans moved from the south to the north and west. Why did they move? Because they were searching for a better life for themselves, their families, and everyone of their race. This mass exodus changed the face of America and the author reveals this change through the stories of real people who traveled across the United States. Full of intriguing true stories and inspiring courage, this book is much better than any history book you might have read in school and is available at Walnut Grove Library.
~Abigail C.