My degree is in literature. The canon is incredibly white-washed. Here are some of my favorite works by my favorite authors of color who deserve recognition (with links)! I am also aware of the limitations of my own knowledge, and I’m including some links to lists of authors who are BIPOC who should be in the canon.
The Zora Canon
100 Must-Read Classics by People of Color
A few of my personal favorites:
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: We Should All Be Feminists Americanah “The Danger of the Single Story” TedTalk
Sherman Alexie: The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fist Fight in Heaven The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian “What Sacagawea Means to Me”
Cristina Henriquez: The Book of Unknown Americans (y en español)
Ta-Nehisi Coates: Between the World and Me The Water Dancer
Saeed Jones: How We Fight for Our Lives
Angie Thomas: The Hate U Give
Zora Neale Hurston: Their Eyes Were Watching God
Julia Alvarez: In the Time of the Butterflies ¡Yo! “Names/Nombres”
Toni Morrison: The Bluest Eye Beloved
Ralph Ellison: The Invisible Man
Alice Walker: The Color Purple
Isabel Allende: House of Spirits (this book literally changed my life)
Richard Wright: Native Son
James Baldwin: Go Tell It on the Mountain
Chinua Achebe: Things Fall Apart
Edwidge Danticat: Krik? Krak! Breath, Eyes, Memory The Farming of Bones
Amy Tan: The Kitchen God’s Wife The Joy Luck Club “Mother Tongue” “Two Kinds:
Arundhati Roy: The God of Small Things (I wrote my thesis about this for my undergrad, so if you read it and wanna chat...I’m ready).
Tsitsi Dangarembga:
Nervous Conditions*
