Reading List
Biographies
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
For the first time I understood that a black girl with obstacles could fly. Her outlined hardships empowered me. This book gave me my poetic and spiritual wings when I was fifteen.
Alice Walker by Evelyn C. White
The most compelling biography ever written. Of course, Evelyn had an amazing subject, but this book read like a novel. I loved the short prosaic chapters. I also learned much I never knew about the iconic Alice Walker.
Wrapped in Rainbows: The Life of Zora Neale Hurston by Valerie Boyd
If you don’t know who Zora Neale Hurston is, you don’t have to ask somebody, just read this detailed, artful biographical account of one of the greatest writers of our times.
This Little Light of Mine: The Life of Fannie Lou Hamer by Kay Mills
Kay Mills took great effort and time to keep this mother of the civil rights movement a part of all of our history.
Dreams from My Father by Barack Obama
He stands unflinching in his biracial male hood and tells a story that makes us stronger. He does not just shine the light on the beautiful, but also on the angst and struggle. As a black woman who has encountered too few positive black male role models, this book gave me food that I did not even know I craved. This book by Barack Obama is beautiful. He weaves his story so well, I did not want the book to end.
Fiction
Kindred by Octavia Butler
Octavia Butler, the first black female science fiction writer, places her character, Dana, in contemporary times only to be eerily pulled from her life into the life of Rufus, a white slaveholder’s son. This book had what it took for me to begin appreciating science fiction.
Caramelo by Sandra Cisneros
Sandra Cisneros is a master weaver of words. The story is told in La La’s voice, singing Mexican songs, poetry and history. Yet this book is universal in its unapologetic depiction of family. I found my family in this book many times. If I had prose flowing from my pen, this would be the book I would emulate.
Diamond Doorknob by Marijo Moore
I love this novel and I am not saying that because Marijo is a friend.
I fell in love with the empathic and sensitive who is the heart of the novel. She speaks of the Cherokee; of woman and determination.
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
I was depressed for three days after this book, and it is due to Toni Morrison’s literary skill. Through Pecola Breedlove she dips into the poison anglophilia wreaks.
Nonfiction
Books and Islands in Ojibwa Country by Louise Erdich
I found this quiet book in a quiet bookstore in New Hampshire. I loved it. It felt like poetry, meditation and prayer. I enjoyed following Louise on her trek to the bookstore all the way up to Ojibwa Country in Canada. I highly recommend this journey. One day I hope to make the pilgrimage to Rainy Lake, the island of books.
Sisters of the Yam by Bell Hooks
A necessary read for any black woman or anyone who seeks to understand a black woman’s plight.
The Remarkable Baobab by Thomas Pakenham
The pictures of the Baobabs are awe inspiring.
Poetry
Black Out Loud Edited by Arnold Adoff
Every black poet should have this book. It is a classic. Anyone
teaching black children should invest in this book also.
Vice by Ai
I love her unique eye and voice.
Collected Poems by Maya Angelou
A timeless classic. We all know Maya for Phenomenal Woman and Still I Rise. However, her range is wide and her poems speak for us all.
Loose Women by Sandra Cisneros
I became a Sandra Cisneros fan when I read House on Mango Street, but I really admire and love her sass and attitude in her poems. You will find no apologies here. Just strongly crafted poems that stand and strut on their own.
Original Fire by Louise Erdrich
Louise calls me to be a better poet. Her range is phenomenal from the sacred to the banal. My favorite!
Rice by Nikky Finney
No one does narrative poetry like sistah Nikky Finney. She culls our native South Carolina so well. I always want to grab a plate of rice when I am reading this collection. She brings that which is overlooked to life.
Conjure Blues by Jaki Shelton Green
One of my favorite North Carolina poets. Her poems sing of Africa and
Woman. She speaks with a righteous unflinching anger and intelligence.
M*A*C*N*O*L*I*A by Van Jordan
The story is told through poetry of a black Ohio girl who loses the National Spelling Bee after the judges assign a word that is not on the approved list. Van Jordan speaks for those who cannot. Each poem draws you closer to Macnolia and her plight.
Rise by Van Jordan
His first book is a must read. Delightful and Brilliant Jazz!!!
Affralachia by Frank X. Walker
Poetically culling and defining a place for black Appalachia. All want
to be recognized. He says, “I have accepted the responsibility of
challenging the notion of a homogeneous all-white literary landscape in
this region.” With this book he does.
Too Black, Too Strong by Benjamin Zephaniah
It is no secret that Benjamin Zephaniah is one of my favorites. It is
not just his poetry, but that he is a man who walks his poetic talk. He is the real deal. His poems range mostly in the political while siding with the underdog.
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