BOOKSHELF

Ebony, Dec, 1999

WHEN the Modern Library released its list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century, only three Black authors--Ralph Ellison, Richard Wright and James Baldwin--were cited. By their record, African-American male writers contributed little or nothing to the field of English letters and Black women authors made no impact at all. Contrary to this notion, Black creativity exploded during the 20th century. One need only look to the Harlem Renaissance, Black Arts Movement and even this decade of the '90s to become wowed by the scope of their work.

In February of this year, we asked literary experts and our readers to help us compile our own list of the most influential books--novels, plays, autobiographies, historical works--by Black authors of this century. What follows is the final tally in chronological order, based on selections by leading professors and experts, including E. Ethelbert Miller, director of the African-American Research Center at Howard University; Dr. James Turner, director of Cornell University's Africana Studies and Research Center; Jacqueline Ashburn Blackwell, Hampton University English professor; Dr. Janis A. Mayes, Syracuse University African-American Studies professor; Dr. Jacqueline Wood, Spelman College English instructor, and dozens of suggestions from readers.

This is by no means a comprehensive list, but a beginning journey into some of the treasures these 100 years have offered. For more recommendations, check out the titles included in books such as Sacred Fire: The QBR 100 Essential Black Books.

Up From Slavery (1901), an autobiography, by Booker T. Washington.

The Souls of Black Folk (1903), a collection of essays, by W.E.B. DuBois.

Cane (1923), a lyrical novel fused with poetry and prose that explores race, sexuality and identity in '20s America, by Jean Toomer.

Philosophy and Opinions of Marcus Garvey; or Africa for the Africans (1923), a collection of essays and commentary by Marcus Garvey, edited by Amy J. Garvey.

The New Negro (1925), an anthology of Harlem Renaissance poems, essays and short stories, edited by Alain Locke.

Banjo: A Story Without a Plot (1929), a novel, by Claude McKay.

Passing (1929), a novel that probes the identity and social conflicts faced by two light-skinned Black women in the '20s, by Nella Larsen.

The Blacker the Berry (1929), a novel of a woman's search for self-discovery and racial identity, by Wallace Thurman.

Southern Road (1932), a novel, by Sterling Brown.

The Mis-Education of the Negro (1933), a critique of the American educational system, its influence on Black students and suggestions for reform, by Carter G. Woodson.

The Ways of White Folks (1934), a collection of short stories, by Langston Hughes.

Black Reconstruction in America (1935), a study of post-Civil War Reconstruction, by W.E.B. DuBois.

Black Thunder (1936), a historical novel based on the slave rebellion of Gabriel Prosser, by Arna Bontemps.

Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937), a story of a woman's search for love and empowerment, by Zora Neale Hurston.

Native Son (1940), the story of a Black Chicago youth whose rage and accidental murder of a White woman leads to his death and the exposure of racism, by Richard Wright.

For My People (1942), a book of poetry, by Margaret Walker.

Black Boy (1945), an autobiographical novel, by Richard Wright.

If He Hollers Let Him Go (1945), a novel about a Black man pushed to his limits by racism, by Chester B. Himes.

The Street (1946), a novel of a young mother's struggle for survival in '40s Harlem, by Ann Petry.

From Slavery to Freedom (1947), a comprehensive history of Black Americans, by John Hope Franklin.

Invisible Man (1952), a National Book Award-winning novel of an unnamed Black man searching for identity, by Ralph Ellison.

Go Tell it on the Mountain (1953), a novel of a young man struggling with religion, race, and a relationship with his father, by James Baldwin.

Maud Martha (1953), a novel, by Gwendolyn Brooks.

Youngblood (1954), a novel, by John Oliver Killens.

Notes of a Native Son (1955), a collection of essays, by James Baldwin.

Things Fall Apart (1958), a novel of pre- and post-colonial Nigerian life, by Chinua Achebe.

A Raisin in the Sun (1959), winner of the New York Drama Critics Circle Award, this play tells the story of a Chicago family's struggle to realize their dreams, by Lorraine Hansberry.

God's Bits of Wood (1960), a novel, By Sembene Ousmane.

Africa's Gift to America: The Afro-American in the Making and Saving of the United States (1961), an examination of the contributions of Blacks to the making of America, by J.A. Rogers.

Nobody Knows My Name (1961), a collection of essays, by James Baldwin.

The Black Jacobins (1963), a history of the Haitian Revolution, by C.L.R. James.

The Fire Next Time (1963), two letters/essays on racism, survival and reconciliation, by James Baldwin.

The Wretched of the Earth (1963), an analysis of the mental and social state of the colonized, by Frantz Fanon.

Blues for Mister Charlie (1964), a play based on a Mississippi murder trial of a Black reformed addict by a White bigot, by James Baldwin.