History of Black Writing

Ralph Ellison is a novelist who highlighted the African American experience and universal struggle for self-definition and recognition in his works. Let his words from “Invisible Man” (1952) remind us that our courage to keep moving forward is greater than life’s uncertainties.

Alice Walker is a novelist, poet, and activist whose work explores the struggles and triumphs of Black women in America. Let her words from “Hard Times Require Furious Dancing: New Poems” remind us that we find strength through joy and the simple act of celebrating ourselves.

James Baldwin is a novelist, playwright, and social critic whose work examines race, sexuality, and identity. Let his words from “The Fire Next Time” remind us to be fully present and celebrate life’s beauty in every moment, from our deepest connections to our simplest acts.

HBW's 42 Books/42 Years exhibit features one novel per year since its founding. The 19th Black novel is "Stay With Me" by Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀ (2017). After Akin’s and Yejide’s many unsuccessful attempts to start a family, paired with societal pressure, they bring in a new wife.

HBW's 42 Books/42 Years exhibit features one novel per year since its founding. The 18th Black novel is "The Changeling" by Victor Lavalle (2017), a fairy tale that blends horror and fantasy into a tale exploring parenthood, love, and dark forces that shape our sense of reality.

HBW's 42 Books/42 Years exhibit features one novel per year since its founding. The 17th Black novel is "Noor" by Nnedi Okorafor (2021). A cybernetically enhanced woman and a Fulani herdsman race against time across Northern Nigerian deserts as the world watches over livestream.

HBW's 42 Books/42 Years exhibit features one novel per year since its founding. The 16th Black novel is "Midnight Robber" by Nalo Hopkinson (2000), a coming-of-age story describing Tan-Tan's journey from young girl to Robber Queen on the Caribbean-colonized planet of Toussaint.

Toni Morrison is a novelist whose narratives explore slavery's generational impact and the intersection of race and gender. Let her words from “The Source of Self-Regard" remind us that we can act when things aren’t right. We have the power to challenge and transform the world.

HBW's 42 Books/42 Years exhibit features one novel per year since its founding. The 15th Black novel is "A Lesson Before Dying" by Ernest J. Gaines (1993). Jefferson, a man who's wrongly convicted, is visited by Grant Wiggins, and together they discover the power of resistance.

HBW's 42 Books/42 Years exhibit features one novel per year since its founding. The 14th Black novel, "My Soul to Keep" by Tananarive Due (1997), pins Jessica between the immortals who aim to rob her of her life and a husband who seeks to keep her forever.

Welcome to HBW’s Monday Motivation Quote series! To start, we have Nelson Mandela, a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary and symbol of resistance. Let his words from "Long Walk to Freedom" (1995) remind us that our freedom is deeply connected to the freedom of others.

HBW's 42 Books/42 Years exhibit features one novel per year since its founding. The 13th Black novel "The System of Dante’s Hell" by Leroi Jones (1965), follows a Black man's early life and later military experience, alongside his struggles with racial identity.

HBW's 42 Books/42 Years exhibit features one novel per year since its founding. The 12th Black novel is "The Farming of Bones" by Edwidge Danticat (1998). Amabelle Désir flees amid the Parsley Massacre and seeks new beginnings in Haiti within a whirlwind of love and survival.

HBW's 42 Books/42 Years exhibit features one novel per year since its founding. The 11th Black novel, "Zulus" by Percival L. Everett (1990), a dystopian comedy, follows a government clerk as she discovers that she is a threat as the last woman alive who is not sterile.

HBW's 42 Books/42 Years exhibit features one novel per year since its founding. The 10th Black novel, "Love" by Tori Morrison (2003), weaves through the lives of five women: wife, daughter, granddaughter, employee, mistress, and their ties to Bill Cosey, a charming hotel owner.

HBW's 42 Books/42 Years exhibit features one novel per year since its founding. The 9th Black novel, "Let Me Breathe Thunder" by William Attaway (1939), follows three migrants in search of work during the Great Depression, and their navigation of racial tensions and prejudices.

HBW's 42 Books/42 Years exhibit features one novel per year since its founding. The 8th Black novel, "Cotton Comes to Harlem" by Chester Himes (1964), revolves around two black detectives searching for several thousand dollars stolen at a back-to-Africa rally.

HBW's 42 Books/42 Years exhibit features one novel per year since its founding. The 7th Black novel, "The Sport of the Gods" by Paul Laurence Dunbar (1902), depicts the struggles of the Hamilton family, victims of injustice in the South, and their struggle to survive in New York.

HBW's 42 Books/42 Years exhibit features one novel per year since its founding. The 6th Black novel is: "Country Place" by Ann Lane Petry (1947). Post World War II, a veteran returns home to a wife who has fallen out of love with him and is suspected of infidelity.

HBW's 42 Books/42 Years exhibit features one novel per year since its founding. The 5th Black novel is: "Brown Girl, Brownstones" by Paule Marshall (1959). His debut novel unfolds the journey of Barbadian immigrants in Brooklyn amid the Great Depression and World War II.