I (J) have to go with James Baldwin. Nothing captures my feelings on race like Notes of a Native Son. His precision, insight and wisdom are unmatched in the pantheon of black literature. Moreover, his intellectualism provided an academic boost to the struggle for black rights in the 1950s and 60s.
Rich: Ralph Ellison. Invisible Man is the book that has most influenced me. I’ve read it twice in my life and I feel I should read it again. It was Ellison’s only novel published before his death; his other books were collections of essays. In 1965, Invisible Man was voted the most important novel of the 20th century. I’ve suggested the book to one of my white colleagues so that he may get a glimpse of how it felt to be a black man.
Filed under: Culture
