Books on Race Past & Present
BY EILEEN BERNARDI
“Without the possibility of action, all knowledge comes to one labeled "File and forget.” Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man
For this list we have chosen books that are full of pain, struggle, hope and a quest for justice. Each of these books have been in some way fundamental to the discussion of race in America. Theres’s the controversial Uncle Tom’s Cabin that was credited for bringing the issue of slavery to the forefront of popular opinion prior to the Civil War, yet also contributed to damaging and condescending black stereotypes. There’s the brilliantly absurd 1952 novel Invisible Man, in which Ellison gives voice to the black experience in the early 20th century, and ends with the protagonist being chased by white policemen into a manhole. There is Toni Morrison’s beautiful novel The Bluest Eye, a tragic look into the ugly consequences of racism and Ta-Nahisi Coates’, Between the World and Me, a letter to the author’s adolescent son about being black in 21st century America. Each of these books is required reading for those who want historical and philosophical context to the racial struggle happening today in America.
“The Bluest Blue” by Toni Morrison
“They Can’t Kill Us All” by Weesley Lowery
“The Hate You Give” by Angie Thomas
“Brown Girl Dreaming” by Jacqueline Woodson
“To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee
“Go Tell It To The Mountain” by James Baldwin
“Uncle Tom’s Cabin” by Harriet Beecher Stowe