 Passing
by Nella Larsen
Married to a successful physician and prominently ensconced in society, Irene Redfield leads a charmed existence — until a chance encounter with a childhood friend who has been "passing for white."
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| |  Quicksand
by Nella Larsen
Brave, bold, and brilliant, Larsen's autobiographical portrait of a biracial woman's quest for self-identity and acceptance offers a cautionary tale of an individual lost between two cultures.
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 Brown Girl, Brownstones
by Paule Marshall
Set in Brooklyn during the Depression and World War II, this 1953 coming-of-age novel centers on the daughter of Barbadian immigrants. "Passionate, compelling." — Saturday Review. "Remarkable for its courage." — The New Yorker.
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| |  The Sport of the Gods
by Paul Laurence Dunbar
A landmark in African-American literature, this powerful novel was among the first realistic depictions of ghetto life. Its portrayal of the black community's social and political issues continues to resonate today.
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| |  Not Without Laughter
by Langston Hughes
Poet Langston Hughes' only novel, a coming-of-age tale that unfolds amid an African-American family in rural Kansas, explores the dilemmas of life in a racially divided society.
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 The House Behind the Cedars
by Charles W. Chesnutt
Originally published in 1900, this groundbreaking novel by a distinguished African-American author recounts the drama of a brother and sister who "pass for white" during the dangerous days of Reconstruction.
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| |  The Marrow of Tradition
by Charles W. Chesnutt
A landmark in the history of African-American fiction, this gripping 1901 novel unfolds against the backdrop of the post-Reconstruction South, climaxing in a race riot based on an actual 1898 incident.
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 Tales of Conjure and The Color Line: 10 Stories
by Charles Waddell Chesnutt
Ten wonderful stories by pioneer of African-American fiction: "The Goophered Grapevine," "Po' Sandy," "Sis' Becky's Pickaninny," "The Wife of His Youth," "Dave's Neckliss," "The Passing of Grandison," more. Witty, charming, insightful.
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| |  African-American Poetry: An Anthology, 1773-1927
by Joan R. Sherman
Rich selection of 74 poems ranging from religious and moral verse of Phillis Wheatley Peters (ca. 1753–1784) to 20th-century work of Countee Cullen, James Weldon Johnson, and Langston Hughes. Introduction.
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 Narrative of Sojourner Truth
by Sojourner Truth
First published in 1850, this inspiring memoir by the famous African-American abolitionist and champion of women's rights tells of her life in slavery, her self-liberation, and her tireless campaign for racial and sexual equality.
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| |  The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man
by James Weldon Johnson
African-American writer's pioneering novel parallels his own life, probes the psychological aspects of "passing for white," and examines the American caste and class system. Major contribution to American literature.
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 The Souls of Black Folk
by W. E. B. Du Bois
This landmark in the literature of black protest eloquently affirms that it is beneath the dignity of a human being to beg for those rights that belong inherently to all mankind.
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