A Look at “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave”

Title: Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American SlaveAuthor: Frederick DouglassPublished: 1845Genre: Non-fiction, Autobiography, Slave Narrative I regret that I only now got to this book. I mentioned in my first post months ago that literature written by Black authors wasn’t a big part of my curriculum in high school, so I’m only now

“Are Prisons Obsolete?” by Angela Davis (Noname’s Book Club July Selection)

Title: Are Prisons Obsolete?Author: Angela Y. DavisPublished: 2003Genre: Non-fiction, Politics & Sociology So not long ago I read an essay by civil rights attorney Derecka Purnell titled “How I Became a Police Abolitionist.” In it, Purnell detailed the rough neighborhood she grew up in, the police’s inability to solve the real issues in her community,

Reading Roundup: Essays from Audre Lorde, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and more

So I’ve taken a short break from fiction and spent the last few weeks reading articles and essays that focus more on topics like sociology and politics. I felt it appropriate especially in light of everything that has happened recently. The essays I focused on were all written by Black women and focus topics like

Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye”: A Look at How Racism Is Internalized

Title: The Bluest EyeAuthor: Toni MorrisonPublished: 1970Genre: Fiction Blurb: The Bluest Eye is Toni Morrison’s first novel, a book heralded for its richness of language and boldness of vision. Set in the author’s girlhood hometown of Lorain, Ohio, it tells the story of black, eleven-year-old Pecola Breedlove. Pecola prays for her eyes to turn blue

Another Look at “The Underground Railroad”: The American Imperative

I remember, back when I was in middle school, learning in a history class about this concept called manifest destiny. This was during lessons about American westward expansion during the 19th century — the Louisiana Purchase, the annexation of Texas, Oregon Territory, etc. Manifest destiny was described as a sort of religious calling; the “literal

A Look at Colson Whitehead’s “The Underground Railroad”: The Antebellum Era

Title: The Underground RailroadAuthor: Colson WhiteheadPublished: 2016Genre: Alternate History Synopsis: Cora is a young slave on a cotton plantation in Georgia. An outcast even among her fellow Africans, she is on the cusp of womanhood — where greater pain awaits. And so when Caesar, a slave who has recently arrived from Virginia, urges her to

‘Imago’ by Octavia E. Butler

Title: ImagoAuthor: Octavia E. ButlerPublished: 1989Genre: Science Fiction Synopsis: Child of the Earth and Stars, Jodahs can create, shapeshift, heal the maimed, cure cancer, create contagion with every breath, or mutate the ground with a touch. Jodahs is an ooloi, a being beyond gender, born with the alien Oankali power to mix pure DNA within

‘Sulwe’ by Lupita Nyong’o and Vashti Harrison

Title: SulweAuthor: Lupita Nyong’oIllustrator: Vashti HarrisonPublished: 2019Genre: Children’s Fiction Synopsis: Sulwe has the color of midnight.She is darker than everyone in her family.She is darker than anyone in her school.Sulwe just wants to be beautiful and bright, like her mother and sister. Then a magical journey in the night sky opens her eyes and changes

‘An American Marriage’ by Tayari Jones

Title: An American MarriageAuthor: Tayari JonesPublished: 2018Genre: Fiction Synopsis: A captivating love story that is also a clear-eyed look at the effects of injustice in contemporary American life, Tayari Jones’s novel gorgeously chronicles three people who are bound together and separated by forces beyond their control.As newlyweds, Celestial and Roy are living the American Dream.

‘Things Fall Apart’ by Chinua Achebe

Title: Things Fall ApartAuthor: Chinua AchebePublished: 1958Genre: Historical Fiction Synopsis: Things Fall Apart tells two intertwining stories, both centering on Okonkwo, a “strong man” of an Ibo village in Nigeria. The first, a powerful fable of the immemorial conflict between the individual and society, traces Okonkwo’s fall from grace with the tribal world. The second,