Words have the power to inform the world, to honor the memory of those who have died, and most importantly, to destroy the silence. Reading novels and poems written by Black writers brings awareness about the experiences of Black people and educates us on the realities of discrimination and anti-Black racism.
Novels demand a focus on the characters, the plot, the setting, and the themes— all the way down to the individual sentences, individual words, and individual letters. Poetry demands attention to every single word, punctuation mark, stanza break, and spacing. The Black Lives Movement demands our solidarity and attention, and one way to actively support Black people is to educate ourselves through the literature and poetry that they compose. Diversifying my reading list has always been important to me because Black voices deserve to be heard, seen, and known. I have compiled a reading list of my favorite works that use the strength of language to write about social, racial, gender, and identity issues that depict experiences of being Black.
If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin
I highly recommend reading James Baldwin’s novels because he discusses the topic of police brutality, racism, and injustice. This novel follows the story between Fonny and Tish in Harlem in the 1970s. Fonny is arrested for a crime that he did not commit and through it all, Fonny and Tish’s love endures. The whole book resembles the genre of the blues with its realistic depictions of anti-Blackness in America. There are moments of great sadness because of the corrupt legal system that profiles Black individuals, but the novel is also rich with layers of hope and love. Baldwin’s writing is lyrical and compelling in highlighting the injustices that Black people experience and the strength of unconditional love that perseveres.
Quicksand by Nella Larsen
Larson’s novel Quicksand follows a female, multi-racial protagonist named Helga Crane and her journey moving from the South to Chicago, to Harlem, to Denmark, and then back to the South. Helga feels an emptiness and a sense of not belonging anywhere. Thus, she moves around the world hoping to find a sense of ‘home.’ However, her encounters in every place shed light on the issues of racial exoticism, racial uplift, racial separation, and elitism. The topic of intersectionality is also prevalent as Helga deals with objectification due to her gender and race. Quicksand opens up many conversations about the aggressions that Black women experience, and this novel broadened my awareness of racial inequalities.
Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
Invisible Man highlights the issues of race and identity through the eyes of the unnamed narrator who grows up in the south and later moves to New York City. He encounters discrimination at every turn. where the symbolism of him remaining unnamed emphasizes how Black people are rendered unseen and invisible. How Black people are denied their right to equality from colleges, workplaces, and the country in general, and how they are refused the same opportunities as white people. This book opened my eyes to the struggles that Black people face, specifically with regards to identity and to being seen in this world riddled with hate and racism.
Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
Kindred is a science fiction novel that follows a Black writer named Dana who lives in Los Angeles in the 1970s, but time travels back to Maryland before the civil war. When she travels back in time, she is enslaved on a plantation and experiences the trauma of slavery. This novel deals with the themes of racism, slavery, gender, and the past. Dana learns about her ancestors in Maryland and realizes how slavery and racism of the past continue to prevail in present day society. This book confronts the hard truth that racism time travels and remains with us. We must address the root cause of the injustices at play in order to change the present climate.
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
The Color Purple was one of the very first books written by a Black author that I read. This epistolary novel follows the story of two Black sisters, Celie and Nettie living in Georgia who are separated when they are young. The novel deals with themes of sexual abuse, slavery, love, loss, and faith. The story is written in Black vernacular, and the language is raw and honest about how Black women’s bodies were violated and objectified. This novel also shows the resilience of Celie and Nettie’s unwavering faith and hope toward a fulfilling and liberating future.
how to get over by t’ai freedom ford
Poetry is a deeply enriching art. While reading poetry, I find myself paying careful attention to everything on the page. Ford’s collection of poems weaves together the issues of the unjust and broken justice system, the standards of what constitutes beauty, the innocent Black lives lost to gun violence, and the power of breaking the silence. Many of ford’s poems are dedicated to the victims of police brutality and those who face discrimination for their appearance. My favorite poem from the collection is titled ‘ode to an African urn’ dedicated “for Trayvon and them.”
Citizen: An American Life by Claudia Rankine
Citizen: An American Life is a collection of essays, prose poetry, photography and artwork that highlights the discrimination that Black women experience. She narrates the microaggressions and incidents of racism that highlight what Black women specifically undergo. Rankine writes how the media portrays Black women in derogative, inferior ways. Media can be racist in its very nature with the terms and labels that they employ in their headlines and content. This hyper inflamed, offensive language when referring to Black people is something that Rankine goes into depth about in this work, and she also explores the damaging effect of stereotypes and racism.
Zadie Smith’s Books
On Beauty
This is my favorite Zadie Smith book that I have read so far. On Beauty was a moving read, and I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a story about the concept of beauty, familial relationships, affairs, art, and love. Other themes in this book encompass racism and belonging as this novel follows a biracial family. I appreciate Smith’s writing because she has a great command over her language and delves into issues of race, class, and gender with an unabashed boldness. Smith also does not idealize family life or individual experiences. Instead, she presents her unfiltered version of being mixed race. I also loved following the characters and gaining insights into their emotions and feelings about their everyday experiences.
Swing Time
Swing Time discusses the themes of friendship, race, racism, and white saviorism. The novel is set in both England and West Africa, and follows the unnamed narrator through her relationships. Something I admire about Smith's writing is her ability to include many distinct voices through her characters and the way she really gets at the heart of relationships--be it familial, romantic, or platonic. I loved the internal relationship within the narrator--the first-person focalization and perspective allowed me to understand her emotions and feelings as well as witness her growth and everything that she learns about being mixed race as she travels and meets various people. The metaphors of time and dance add depth to her novel and provide more insights about growing up and learning about the world. There is a level of control in her language that is remarkable, and she holds the ability to garner feelings from her readers--whether it be embarrassment, anger, sadness, empathy, nostalgia, or happiness.