African American Books

January 29th, 2010 by Dr. Pauline

Reading African American books are a smart way to sharpen your perception about a race of people who are known by many names, but definitely by the name survivor. Theirs is a story worth reading. Their journey chronicles a story beginning in the deep recesses of the rich land of Africa to the filthy belly of crowded slave boats. The exodus from the slave ships brought them to unimaginable oppression.

African American books show you an authentic American story. I suppose we could say these books give the reader the unvarnished truth. We could say of African American books that one gets the story directly from the “horse’s mouth.” The story of African Americans has been told by many authors. However, some books attempting to tell the story of this people are written by authors who are unenlightened and it is obvious that their work is colored by their bias, and ignorance of the culture of the people they are attempting to write about.

African American books will teach the present generation to take a look backwards and come to appreciate the strength, and tenacity of a people who refused to give up and die in a strange land. This present generation can bolster their self esteem and put self hatred in its proper place—behind. Some sages put forth the truism that: If you don’t know where you came from (your past) most likely you will never reach your destined place in life. The older generation can look back and realize they have defied the “circumstances” and are still here.

African American books will show that the casting a people into the cruelties of a prejudice, unfeeling society only worked to make them more determined than ever to hold on to that sliver of hope. A sliver of hope that remained implanted in their hearts even when they were not allowed to speak their own language and because of laws set in place they were denied the opportunity to learn their master’s language. Besides having to cope without a language their drums were taken. They could not communicate in words or in music.

African American books will show the African Americans’ struggle with inhumane treatment in every area of their life in America. There were the organized, legalized, murder groups who beat the women and put to death many men in ways that are not even allowed to be carried out on an animal. Out of this rampant cruelty by the oppressors the people still managed to trust God even when it seemed he was so far away.

The 20th century and its record of life in these United States have been stored in the libraries and in some people’s heart to be passed on for future generations, (those who are alive and alert enough to tell it). Some African American books will clarify some historical questions for you while others serve only to stir up in you an insatiable desire to find out more.

In this technologically driven 21st century, we find ourselves offered something new before we can learn to use the present innovation. African American books will certainly have a lot to present for the 21st century reader. The fact is that one of the descendants from these oppressed people is now sitting in the nations’ capitol as overseer of the land of the free and the home of the brave where everyone is encouraged to dream the impossible. The fresh history as found in African American books will tell the story of the people and man who declared, “Yes We Can,” and then did.