Listed below (in alphabetical order) are the books I read this summer and would recommend to others:

Andrew Johnson by Annette Gordon-Reed–I don’t think I’ve ever read a book by Annette Gordon-Reed that wasn’t thoroughly researched and brilliantly written.  Ole Andrew Johnson was a mean, bigoted and racist individual; any gains made during Reconstruction had nothing to do with him as if left up to him he would have set black folks back 200 years.  History buffs will enjoy this book.

Black Orchid Blues by Persia Walker–Latest mystery from Persia Walker with multiple twists and turns…she will have you guessing you done it until the last page.  Sad that this book hasn’t recieved more press as those who enjoy mysteries should definitely add this one to their list.  For more details regarding Black Orchild Blues, check out Phyllis’ review.

Catfish Alley by Lynne Bryant–What do an elderly, black lady and Junior League, society wannabe have in common?  Read the book to find out.   But seriously, for those who enjoy reading books about Southern living, race relationships, and learning something about our history along the way…I highly recommend this book (and while it’s been compared to The Help I actually liked this book and preferred it and believe that it stands on it own).  For more information regarding Catfish Alley, check out Dera’s review.

Cleopatra by Stacy Schiff–Cleopatra was a bad mama jama…might I say if she were alive today she would probably be one of the most influential, if not most influential, females alive.  For those who like drama…this book had incest, murder, adultery, politics, dysfunctional family relationships all in the first chapter!  It’s non-fiction but it read like fiction as the author definitely did a good job of providing facts/details about Cleopatra in a very engaging style.  I listened to the audiobook because the book is 4oo+ pages but one day I’m going to go back and either relisten to the audiobook or read the book because I enjoyed this book just that much and know that I missed some of the details in the audio book listen.  Check out Lena’s review to see what she had to say about Cleopatra.

The Heminges of Monticello by Annette Gordon-Reed–I learned so much about slavery, the Heminges and the ways and culture of Jefferson and his family from this book.  Highly recommend it to history buffs and those who want to learn more about this dynasty family (the Heminges).

On Black Girl Street by Chika Uniqwe–This book was recommended to me last year by two of my favorite book buddies (Ms. Bev and Ms. Phyllis) and I’m disappointed that it took me so long to get around to reading it.  Very poignant and touching story about the Denmark sex trade and four, young African females.  As the book opens we learn that one of the prostitutes has been murdered…subsequent chapters provide flashbacks regarding her life…leading up to what happened to her and also share stories of the other girls who lived in the house with her.  Although the book was fiction, since the sex trade/prostitution is very much alive in Denmark, I found myself googling to find out more information about this ‘business.’  Very interesting!

Please Look After Mom by K. Shin –How does your elderly mom get lost and left behind at the train station?  Where was your dad, who was accompanying her, when it happened?  Please Look After Mom is the story of a Korean mother, grandmother and wife and the guilt felt by family members who wish they would have taken more of an interest in her.  Check out Ms. Bev’s review for more details regarding Please Look After Mom.

Say Amen, Again by Reshonda Tate Billingsley–Nice EPO (Entertainment Purposes Only) read; entertaining, with just enough drama for those who need it and since the storyline moves quickly I was able to read it in one sitting.  Review coming soon!

The Story of Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon–Excellent story about love between two young adult mental patients; also dealt with mental health reform.  For more details check out Ms. Bev’s review.

This Burns My Heart by Samuel Parker–Love Story, Korean Culture, Post-War Korea backdrop, historical fiction

Wingshooters by Nina Revoyr–Story of a biracial (Japanese/Caucasian) female growing up in a small, narrow-minded Wisconsin community during the 70s.  It’s fiction but parts might be biographical.  This was my first time reading one of Revoyr’s books but I enjoyed it and look forward to reading other books from this very talented author.  For more details on Wingshooters, check out Lena’s review.

22 Brittania Road by Amanda Hodgkinson–War can have a devastating effect on a family.  22 Brittania Road is the story of a newlywed, married couple (with an infant) who are separated when the husband is shipped off to WWII.  It will be six years before they’re reunioned…but during those six years a lot will happen that will impact each of them emotionally and physically.  Coming together won’t be easy…but with love…all things are possible when it comes to your family.  Historical fiction buffs, WWII enthusiasts and those enjoy stories about love, family, relationships and secrets will enjoy this book.

Well there you have it…some of the books that I enjoyed reading this summer.  So…what’s on your list?  Please share your Summer 2011 Reading List.

Summer 2011 Reading List is a post from: APOOO

Related Posts

• Summer 2010 Books We’re Reading and Raving About
• A Taste of Honey Book Blurb by Jabari Asim
• Interview with Author Elizabeth Nunez
• November 2009 African American Reading List
• October 2009 African American Reading List

The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives by Lola Shoneyin

This is the first novel by Lola Shoneyin. I was interested in reading this book because the author has published poetry in the past and in my experience this actually prepares writers for telling their stories in a succient manner, and her father-in-law is Wole Soyinka, so I figured she has access to good literary resources to make sure that she wrote a worthy book. But, I did think that initially the storyline sounded a little predictable – a man who has three wives takes an educated fourth wife that is not well accepted. But I was so wrong as the story was anything but predictable. The husband and each of the wives has a turn in telling their story – the story is in the present and also goes back in time to help give the full picture but you are never confused on who is talking or if you are in the present or past. Each character is fully developed and there were many unexpected twists and turns to this story that I could not put the book down until the end. It shows the clash of the old vs the new culture and at the end you will start to wonder what is the old tradition v the new one. This does not read like a debut novel but like a more mature writer.–Ms. Bev  I also read this book and highly recommend it. 

A Taste of Honey by Jabari Asim

I so enjoyed this connected collection of short stories – it really read like a novel.  Once I started reading I could not put down and wondered what took me so look to pick up this book. Takes place in a small to mid-sized town in the midwest right before MLK was killed. Great character voices, community and family-oriented storyline; used the background of the story to inform us about the political issues of the time. As Ms. Phyllis said – would love to see these characters again. I surely hope Asim writes more fiction.–Ms. Bev  Another one of my favorites for this year.

More thoses on Taste of Honey…

I will be recommending to others and especially to those who claim not to like short stories. This was a collection that came full circle; believable, real, it could have been my neighborhood or any black community in 1968. Brought back memories of the Black Panthers coming-of-age, the Oakland “pigs” and the beatings of black men. The sense of community, the freedom to roam the streets going to our friends’ houses, avoiding the funeral home or “haunted” house. Yeah, I could use some more of these stories. 

 

32 Candles by Ernessa T Carter

 
This is a wonderful debut novel that will capture your attention from page one , and you will not want to put it down until you are finished.  Well-paced storyline with a cast of interesting characters will take you on the journey as “Davie” looks for acceptance of herself and seeks what she has learned watching Molly Ringwald movies as the way to a happen ending. But life is not like a screenplay, and no one knows this better than Davie. If you like “talking back” to the characters in the book, then this is the book for you – as you will be charmed, humored, saddened and above all entertained. Once again I have read a book this summer that has taken a “much used” storyline and the author has made it so much more and stamped it with her own style.–Ms. Bev  I so agree with Ms. Bev’s last statement and based upon her recommendation, I picked up 32 Candles and gave it a chance.  I wasn’t disppointed and it was nominated and selected as the APOOO BOM of the month for October.

Personal History of Rachel Dupree

I read The Personal History of Rachel Dupree and was very surprised at how much I enjoyed this story of a woman who followed her man from Chicago to the Dakota Badlands in the early 1900s to forge a new life and all she went through. There were so many tender moments, some heartbreaking moments. It is an American history story, an aspect of AA life & culture and additonally a woman’s story of coming into her own. Highly recommended. 5 rating.–Dera

 
Manifest by Artist Arthur

This is the first book in a new YA trilogy that deals with the paranormal theme. The author also writes romance as A.C. Arthur. I am not normally a reader of YA fiction but have become more interested as my oldest GD has started to get older. The story flowed well and was well paced. An interesting twist on the paranormal theme and  the author also used it to talk about issues affecting teenagers. Also liked the diversity of the characters. –Ms. Bev 

Destination Love by Gwynne Forster

I read Destination Love by Gwynne Forster and enjoyed it. Gwynne draws these woman characters who are socially backwards and puts them in situations where they have to interact out of their element. A professor goes on a cruise and encounters someone from her past, except she doesn’t recognize him. Nobody does the man/woman game of wills like Forster. I loved the cruises, one to Nova Scotia and the other a Mediterrean cruise, to exotic places. Readers get to see the sights and learn the history and the descriptions are vivid. I give it a 4 on a romance rating.–Dera; I’m not a romance genre fan but I know that if Dera is and if she reads it and gives it a high thumbs up it must be good!

Summer 2010 Books We’re Reading and Raving About is a post from: APOOO

Related Posts

• Summer 2011 Reading List
• A Taste of Honey Book Blurb by Jabari Asim
• Interview with Author Elizabeth Nunez
• November 2009 African American Reading List
• October 2009 African American Reading List

 I finished A Taste of Honey over the weekend and thoroughly enjoyed it:  the characters, the neighborhood, the storytelling — and especially the interweaving/inter-relationships of the characters and plotlines — very well-done in all areas.  It read more like a novel than short stories and I kinda hated to see it end.  I hope he revisits the story to keep us updated on Crispus, Ed, and their families, friends, and neighbors. My rating:  4.5/5 — one of the best SS collections I’ve read recently.  My rating 4.5 and no problem bumping up to a “mainstream” 5 rating.

As I tell my book loving friends, word of mouth recommendations, especially from like-minded readers are still the best form of advertising.  Based upon Phyllis’ glowing blurb I’ve added Taste of Honey to my to-read list.

A Taste of Honey Book Blurb by Jabari Asim is a post from: APOOO

Related Posts

• Summer 2011 Reading List
• Summer 2010 Books We’re Reading and Raving About
• Interview with Author Elizabeth Nunez
• November 2009 African American Reading List
• October 2009 African American Reading List

APOOO member and reviewer, Dera Williams, is facilitating the February book of the month selection, Anna In-Between by Elizabeth Nunez. Dr. Nunez was gracious enough to take time out of her busy schedule as a professor and author on tour to participate in a Q & A session.

Anna Sinclair, a New York senior editor, goes home for her annual vacation to the island of her birth where issues of family dynamics, social climate, political views, cultural identity and class values collide.

DW:  Thank you Dr. Nunez for taking the time for this interview.

You were born in Trinidad. How long have you lived in the States? How often do you visit home?

EN:  I first came to the US when I was nineteen.  I was awarded a full scholarship to Marian College in Wisconsin.  I returned to Trinidad after I graduated with a BA degree in English, but after a year and a half there, I was restless.  I wanted more stimulation than Trinidad provided at the time.  I enrolled at NYU and eventually got MA and PhD degrees in English.  Though I visited Trinidad frequently, I never returned to live there.  I married an African American and had a son.  I am now divorced.

DW:  Where and what do you teach? Did you always know you wanted to be a teacher?

EN:  For many years, I taught at Medgar Evers College of the City University of New York (CUNY) in Brooklyn.  I am now a Distinguished Professor at Hunter College, CUNY, where I teach Creative Writing, Fiction.

I always wanted to be a teacher.  My grandfather and father were both teachers at different points in their lives. When I was a child, I was fond of gathering my siblings and neighbors together and playing school.  Of course, I was always the teacher.

DW:  What is your writing process?

EN:  My brain works best in the early morning.  A good day for me is when I wake up around 5:30am and go directly to the computer.  Sometimes I walk for an hour before I start to write; sometimes I walk after about two hours of writing.  While I walk, I am in the world of my fiction and many new ideas come to me.  I try to write 1,000 words a day, five days a week. I do not work with an outline.  I write with the faith that ideas will come as I write.  However, as I write, I do get a sense of how the novel will progress and I jot down notes.  So, I suppose, this is a sort of backhanded way of outlining.

DW:  What do you hope to achieve by telling stories of the Caribbean and the people of West Indian descent?

EN:  Like all writers, my stories are grounded in a specific place, time, and with characters from specific backgrounds.  Since I am most familiar with Caribbean characters who live in the US either temporarily or permanently, I write mostly about them.  I want to tell their stories of their challenges and triumphs.  I want the world to know the greatness of Caribbean people, but I also hope that all my novels speak to the human condition and will appeal to all people anywhere and at any time.

DW:  In a city like New York there are a great number of blacks who are either West Indian born or second or third generation. What are the similarities and differences between your students of West Indian descent and black Americans in their academic endeavors?

EN:  When I teach, I make no distinction between my African American and Caribbean American students.  Generally, however, as with all immigrant families, students of Caribbean immigrant parents tend to be more motivated and diligent.  Their parents have made the sacrifice to leave their homeland for a better life and they instill in their children the ambition to succeed.

DW:  Anna, the protagonist in Anna In-Between, is a senior editor of an imprint focused on finding writers of color. In reality, is there a need to have this specialty in order to find fresh talent?

EN:  I think the challenges faced by imprints specific to writer of colors are similar to the challenges of Affirmative Action programs.  Because of the continued existence of racism in America, there is need to protect the interests of people of color, but this protection is a double-edged sword.  Affirmative Action programs give people of color opportunities for education and employment they ordinarily would be denied because of the color of their skin.  However, the exemptions required for these opportunities often cast doubt on the qualifications of candidates.  Special imprints provide writers of color with opportunities for publication, but they also unfairly tend to cast doubts about the quality of the writers’ work.

DW:   Why is it difficult for literary writers to have the phenomenal success many commercial authors experience? Do publishers incite friction between literary and contemporary writers?

EN:  A book becomes a bestseller because many people purchase it.   Writers of popular or commercial fiction appeal to a wider audience of readers who read a book strictly for entertainment.  Generally, these readers are less educated than the readers of literary fiction.  They are the same people who would rather see an action movie than a movie that challenges them intellectually, emotionally and aesthetically.

For writers of color, the situation is more problematic.   Publishers seem to make the assumption that only black people read books by black writers.  As if that isn’t enough, they also make assumptions about the level of education of black readers and their ability to appreciate a work of fiction that is challenging. Publishers, therefore, tend to publish few works of literary fiction by black writers.  They think there is no market for such novels.  They think that black people will not buy literary fiction by black writers. Publishers argue that they are in the business of making money and if there is no market for a certain type of novel, then there would be no profit for them.   We need to demand that publishers publish and market literary fiction by black writers.  The best way we can do that is by purchasing literary fiction by black writers.  I worry that if the current trends continue, we may find ourselves silencing a potential James Baldwin or Zora Neale Hurston.

DW:  You must be excited by the up-and-coming writers in your classes? What kind of topics are they writing about?

EN:  Though I teach at Hunter College, I also volunteer to teach a workshop in a bookstore in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, that is open to the community.  Interestingly, many of my male students seem to be writing stories about women who betray them.  They also write about drug addiction, crime, police brutality and unemployment.  Though my female students also write about hardships, particularly of raising a family alone, their stories seem to be more hopeful that there will be a bright future ahead for them.

DW:  What writers have influenced you or do you admire?

EN:  I remember reading Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon and running afterward because I was so full of emotion that I needed some physical release.  Before this novel, most of the novels I had read were by English writers.  I continue to like English writers, past writers like Jane Austen and contemporary writers like Ian McEwan, but it was awe-inspiring to read a literary work by a black writer about characters who look like me. My favorite Morrison novel is her latest, A Mercy.   I also admire Gabriel Garcia Marquez and J.M. Cotezee, and though I do not appreciate his world view, I admire the literary style of VS Naipaul.

DW:  Are you working on anything now? Please tell us a little about it?

EN:  I am working on a sequel to Anna In-Between.  My tentative title for it is Anna Hyphenated.

DW:  What book is on your night stand?

EN:  Triangular Road by Paule Marshall

DW:  Thank you for writing such a phenomenal book that informs and entertains on several levels and for your contribution to the canon of Black Diaspora literature.

February 27, 2010

Interview with Author Elizabeth Nunez is a post from: APOOO

Related Posts

• Summer 2011 Reading List
• Summer 2010 Books We’re Reading and Raving About
• A Taste of Honey Book Blurb by Jabari Asim
• November 2009 African American Reading List
• October 2009 African American Reading List

Before Redemption – Teresa McClain Watson

The Bishop’s Daughter- Tiffany Warren

Black Water Rising – Attica Locke

Body By Night- Zuri

The Book of Dead Birds–Gayle Brandeis

The Book of Night Women- Marlon

Captured – Beverly Jenkins

Cutting for Stone–Abraham Verghese

Déjà Vu – Suzetta Perkins

Everything Is Now–Michelle Cliff

Far North – Marcel Theroux

A Gate At the Stairs – Lorrie Moore

The Girl Who Fell From the Sky- Heidi Durrow

In The Falling Snow–Caryl Phillips

Invisible Mountain- Caroline DeRobertis

The Lacuna–Barbara Kingsolver

The Last Bridge–Teri Coyne

Little Black Girl Lost 4–Keith Lee Johnson

Mama Dearest–E. Lynn Harris

Mudbound – Hillary Jordan

The Museum of Innocence – Orhan Pamuk

Our Lady of the Night–Mayra Santos-Febres

The Physics Book of Deliverance –Dane Katherine Howe

The Plague of the Doves – Louise Erdrich

Push- Sapphire

Sapphira, the Slave Girl–Willa Carther

Say You’re One of Them- Uwem Akpan

Scandalous Truths – Monica P Carter

Second Class Citizen- Buchi  Emecheta

South of Haunted Dreams- Eddy Harris

Under This Unbroken Sky–Shandi Mitchell

The Well and The Mine – Gin Phillips

Wildflowers – Lyah Beth Leflore

Wolf Hall–Hilary Mantel

The Year of the Flood – Margaret Atwood

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

What BOOKS from ABOVE have you read and enjoyed?

What books do you plan to read during the month of November?

Share your list via the comments section.

November 2009 African American Reading List is a post from: APOOO

Related Posts

• Summer 2011 Reading List
• Summer 2010 Books We’re Reading and Raving About
• A Taste of Honey Book Blurb by Jabari Asim
• Interview with Author Elizabeth Nunez
• October 2009 African American Reading List

90 Minutes in Heaven by Don Piper

Bite Marks by Terence Taylor

Body by Night by Zuri

The Bridge of Sand by Janet Burrows

The Calligrapher’s Daughter by Eugenia Kim

Captured by Beverly Jenkins

A Change Had to Come by Gwynne Forster

Cross Country by James Patterson

Day After Night by Anita Diamante

Deadly Charm by Claudia Mair Burney

A Deep Dark Secret by Kimberla Lawson Roby

DejaVu – Suzetta Perkins

Feelin’ the Vibe by Candice Dow

Gal by Ruth Bolton

God Ain’t Blind by Mary Monroe

God Only Knows- Xavier Knight

The Grass Is Singing   by Doris Lessing

I Do Not Come to You By Chance by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani

The Ideal Wife by Jacqueline Thomas

In The Falling Snow   by Caryl Phillips

The Invisible Mountain by Carolina DeRobertis

Lady Jasmine by Victoria Christopher Murray

The Last Woman Standing by Tia McCollors

Mama Dearest by E. Lynn Harris

The Manual by Sherryle Kiser-Jackson

The Murder of King Tut – A Nonfiction Thriller by James Patterson

A Night with a Wealthy Rancher by Brenda Jackson

The Other Lands (Acacia, Book 2) by David Anthony Durham

Our Lady of the Night by Mayra Santos-Febres

Picking Bone From Ash by Marie Matsuki Mockett

Rebel Yell by Alice Randall

Scandalous Truths – Monica P Carter

The Ultimate No No – Tamika Newhouse

Under This Unbroken Sky by Shandi Mitchell

The Well and the Mine by Gin Phillips

What the Bayou Saw by Patti Lacy

Wife of the Gods by Kwei Quartey

Within Heaven’s Grasp by Rebecca Springer

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

What BOOKS from ABOVE have you read and enjoyed?

What books do you plan to read during the month of October?

Share your list via the comments section.

October 2009 African American Reading List is a post from: APOOO

Related Posts

• Summer 2011 Reading List
• Summer 2010 Books We’re Reading and Raving About
• A Taste of Honey Book Blurb by Jabari Asim
• Interview with Author Elizabeth Nunez
• November 2009 African American Reading List

A Beautiful Place to Die – Mali Nunn

Before I Forget by Leonard Pitts Jr.

Black Water Rising – Attica Locke

Cell Block Z – Ghostface Killah – review book

Children of the Waters- Carleen Brice

The City and the City – China Mieville

Deja Vu – Suzetta Perkins

The Devil is a Lie – Reshonda Tate Billingsley

Drift – Victoria Patterson

God Ain’t Blind – Mary Monroe

Everything is Now – Michelle Cliff

Let’s Get it On – Jill Nelson

The Long Fall- Walter Mosley

Man of Fortune- Rochelle Alers

Not Guilty of Love – Pat Simmons

On Black Sister’s Street – Chika Unigwe

The Other Side of Paradise

Save the Best for Last – Bettye Griffin

Schae’s Story- Angelia Menchan

Sins of the Father – Angela Benson

Somebody’s Sinning in My Bed – Pat G’Orge Walker

Surviving Chadwick- Phillip Wilhite

The Ties that Bind- Bertice Berry

What They Found: Love on 145th St. – Walter Dean Myers

Who Is He To You – Monique Mensah

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

What BOOKS from ABOVE have you read and enjoyed?

What books do you plan to read during the month of August?

Share your list via the comments section.

August 2009 African American Reading List is a post from: APOOO

Related Posts

• Summer 2011 Reading List
• Summer 2010 Books We’re Reading and Raving About
• A Taste of Honey Book Blurb by Jabari Asim
• Interview with Author Elizabeth Nunez
• November 2009 African American Reading List

Children of the Waters by Carleen Brice

Hold Love Strong by Aaron Goodman

I Am Not Sidney Poitier by Percival Everette

Keeping Secrets and Telling Lies by Trice Hickman

Lady Jasmine by Victoria Christopher Murray

Let’s Get It Own by Jill Nelson

Lover Man by Geneva Holliday

Lyon’s Den by Kendra Norman Bellamy

Maneater by Zane/Noire

A New Kind of Bliss by Bettye Griffin

Par for the Curse by Toyi Ward

Price to Pay by Angela Winters

Resurrecting Midnight by Eric Jerome Dickey

Sassy by Gloria Mallette

Sins of the Father by Angela Benson

Shadow Valley by Steven Barnes

Something She Can Feel by Grace Octavia

The Thing Around Your Neck by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

What the Bayou Saw by Patti Laci

Wife of the Gods by Kwei Quartey

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

What BOOKS from ABOVE, have you read and enjoyed?

What books do you plan to read in May 2009?

Share your list via the comments section.

APOOO’s June 2009 Book List is a post from: APOOO

Related Posts

• Summer 2011 Reading List
• Summer 2010 Books We’re Reading and Raving About
• A Taste of Honey Book Blurb by Jabari Asim
• Interview with Author Elizabeth Nunez
• November 2009 African American Reading List

The After Wife -Lexi Davis

City Kid- Nelson George

The Demise of Luleta Jones – Mark Allen Boone

God Only Knows- Xavier Knight

Intimate Seduction- Brenda Jackson

Life is Short but Wide – J California Cooper

The Long Fall- Walter Mosley

Mom’s the Word by Marilynn Griffith

Murder, Mayhem, and a Fine Man- Claudia Birney

My Son’s Wife – Sheila Lipsey

One Taste by Allison Hobbs

The Other Side of Paradise

Playing Dirty by Kiki Swinson

Queen Bee by Mark Anthony

Sag Harbor – Colson Whitehead

Schae’s Story- Angelia Menchan

Sleeping With the Enemy by Wahida Clark and KiKi Swinson

That Devil’s No Friend of Mine by JD Mason

The Ties that Bind- Bertice Berry

Up to No Good by Carl Weber

Where Did You Sleep Last Night?- Danzy Senna

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

What BOOKS from ABOVE, have you read and enjoyed?

What books do you plan to read in May 2009?

Share your list via the comments section.

APOOO’s May 2009 Book List is a post from: APOOO

Related Posts

• Summer 2011 Reading List
• Summer 2010 Books We’re Reading and Raving About
• A Taste of Honey Book Blurb by Jabari Asim
• Interview with Author Elizabeth Nunez
• November 2009 African American Reading List

72 Hour Hold by Bebe Moore Campbell

Dancing on the Edge of the Roof by Shelia Williams

Darkest Child by Delores Phillip

Daughter by asha bandele

Gal by Ruthie Bolton

Jump at the Sun by Kim McLaurin

Mama by Terri McMillan

Mama Day by Gloria Naylor

Orange Mint and Honey by Carleen Brice

Playing My Mother’s Blues by Valerie Wilson Wesley

Push by Sapphire

Rhythms by Donna Hill

Seen It All and Done the Rest by Pearl Cleage

The Street by Ann Petry

Unburnable by Elena Marie Jones

When Did You Stop Loving Me by Veronica Chambers

For more books, CLICK HERE.

In Honor of Every Day is Mother’s Day: African American Book Recommendations is a post from: APOOO

Related Posts

• Summer 2011 Reading List
• Summer 2010 Books We’re Reading and Raving About
• A Taste of Honey Book Blurb by Jabari Asim
• Interview with Author Elizabeth Nunez
• November 2009 African American Reading List