Photos: Top Black Authors and Books

These African-American authors helped to shape their generations.

Ann Petry “The Street” - Petry became the first Black female writer to top more than 1 million in book sales with her very first novel, <i> The Street </i>, published in 1946. Set in 1940s Harlem, the story centers on the hardships of main character Lutie Johnson, a single Black mother, as she struggles to survive her violent and poverty-stricken surroundings with her young son Bub.
Octavia Butler “Kindred” - Butler broke barriers as being one of the few African American science fictions writers, and the only science fiction writer to receive the MacArthur Foundation Genius Grant. Her most successful book is <i>Kindred </i>published in 1979. In it, the main character, Dana, an African-American woman, is transported back in time to nineteenth century Maryland where she meets her ancestors who include a White slave holder.
Zora Neale Hurston “Their Eyes Were Watching - A Harlem Renaissance writer, Hurston published her most popular novel, <i>Their Eyes Were Watching God </i>, in 1937. The book, set in early 20th century Florida, tells the story of Janie Crawford and her tragic search for love in her three marriages. The book was criticized by some for its use of phonetic spellings to showcase the region’s dialect. In 2005, it was adapted into a made-for-TV movie starring Halle Berry.Ralph Ellison “The Invisible Man” - Ellison’s most famous novel was the only one published during his lifetime (his other work was published after his death in 1994). It received the National Book Award in 1953. The book tells the life story of an unnamed African American man, who considers himself to be invisible by most of the world –a plight mirrored by other African Americans during the time.

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Ann Petry “The Street” - Petry became the first Black female writer to top more than 1 million in book sales with her very first novel, <i> The Street </i>, published in 1946. Set in 1940s Harlem, the story centers on the hardships of main character Lutie Johnson, a single Black mother, as she struggles to survive her violent and poverty-stricken surroundings with her young son Bub.

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