Born January 14, John Oliver Killens wrote several novels, two of which were nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for fiction: And Then We Heard the Thunder and The Cotillion, or One Good Bull is Half the Herd. More information about John Oliver Killens can be found here
Born January 15, 1933, Ernest J. Gaines is an African American author of eight novels and several short stories. Three novels became movies: A Lesson Before Dying, The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, and A Gathering of Old Men. One short story, The Sky is Gray, was adapted for a movie. More information about his books can be found here
There is also an award given to a rising African American author: The Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence
These two books are some classic reads.
Book 1: Dark Matter: A Century of Speculative Fiction From the African Diaspora edited by Sheree R. Thomas
Book 2: Spooks, Spies, and Private Eyes Black Mystery, Crime, and Suspense Fiction of the 20th Century edited by Paula L. Woods. Great selection of stories and novellas.
Sundays are for family, food, fun, and, of course church. These three books explore the traditions, food, fun, and church on Sundays.
Book 1: Soul Food Sunday by Winsome Bingham
Book 2: Sunday Dinner by Angela Shanté
Book 3: Second Sunday by Michele Andrea Bowen. I have read two of her books, Church Folks and Second Sunday. Both are humorous, delightful, and honest!
Today’s book is about everyday Black folks told with humor and truth. It is Langston Hughes’s stories about Jesse B. Semple–first composed for a weekly column in the Chicago Defender and then collected in Simple Speaks His Mind, Simple Takes a Wife, and Simple Stakes a Claim–have been read and loved by hundreds of thousands of readers.
Throwback Thursday features earlier works. I know of these titles, but have yet read them.
Book 1: Black Thunder by Arna Bontemps
Book 2: Plum Bun by Jessie Redmon Fauset
Book 3: Dark Princess by W.E.B. Du Bois
This post will feature just a few of the award-winning titles by the late, great, dynamic duo Fredrick and Patricia McKissack. Together they wrote 50+ books. These books are well researched, written, and a must read! https://www.read.gov/exquisite-corpse/mckissack.html
I will feature three books on spirituals.
Book 1: All time classic. All Night, All Day by the late Ashley Bryan Just a beautiful book!
Book 2: When I Hear Spirituals by Cheryl Hudson
Book 3: Wade in the Water by Arthur C. Jones. A scholarly book on the wisdom of spirituals
Why not end the 30th day of the month with a 3 book series? Two authors who wrote excellent trilogies are listed below.
Author 1: Attica Lock, Highway 59 series. I have read a few of Attica Locke’s books. They were always well written with strong characters, a strong storyline filled with drama and maybe some romance. Her Highway 59 series is an excellent series to read. https://texashighways.com/culture/author-attica-locke-completes-her-highway-59-trilogy/#:~:text=The%20first%20in%20the%20award,a%20murder%20on%20the%20bayou.
Author 2: David Anthony Durham, Acacia series
I read his first book, Acacia, a long time ago. It was excellent and I look forward to reading the sequel. Strong character development, drama, conflict, and a strong storyline, Acacia is a good read. I plan to reread Acacia and then the rest of the series. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/series/C8F/acacia-trilogy/
Part mystery/part thriller, these books will engage and surprise you!
Book 1: Rudolph Fisher, The Conjure-Man Dies. First African American detective mystery written by an African American.
Book 2: Lauren Wilkinson, American Spy. Inspired by true events, the story of an African American FBI intelligence agent who was to seduce and participate in a coup to bring down an African leader.
Book 3: S. A. Cosby, Blacktop Wasteland.
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