As students grow and mature, it's essential to expose them to diverse perspectives and experiences. Reading books by Black writers is a great way to broaden students' horizons and provide them with a deeper understanding of the world around them. Here is a list of 25 Black writers and their books that every student should read before graduating from high school, starting in the third grade.
Maya Angelou - "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings"
Langston Hughes - "The Weary Blues"
Zora Neale Hurston - "Their Eyes Were Watching God"
Toni Morrison - "The Bluest Eye"
Alice Walker - "The Color Purple"
Richard Wright - "Native Son"
James Baldwin - "Go Tell It on the Mountain"
Gwendolyn Brooks - "Annie Allen"
Nikki Giovanni - "Love Poems"
Langston Hughes - "Simple Speaks His Mind"
Ralph Ellison - "Invisible Man"
Octavia Butler - "Kindred"
W.E.B. Du Bois - "The Souls of Black Folk"
Ntozake Shange - "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf"
Eric Jerome Dickey - "Sisters & Lovers"
Walter Dean Myers - "Monster"
Ta-Nehisi Coates - "Between the World and Me"
Colson Whitehead - "The Underground Railroad"
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - "Americanah"
Ishmael Reed - "Mumbo Jumbo"
Tarell Alvin McCraney - "Choir Boy"
Jesmyn Ward - "Salvage the Bones"
Tracy K. Smith - "Wade in the Water"
Jacqueline Woodson - "Another Brooklyn"
Yaa Gyasi - "Homegoing"
This list is just a starting point, and there are many more Black writers and books that are worth exploring. By reading books by Black writers, students can gain a better understanding of the Black experience, broaden their perspectives, and appreciate the diversity of the world around them.
It's essential that students are exposed to a diverse range of perspectives, experiences, and cultures, and reading books by Black writers is a great way to do that. This list of 25 Black writers and books provides a starting point for students to explore, and there are many more books and writers that are worth discovering.
Comments