#8: Read a classic written by a POC.

[Juulna]

Are there any Fantasy or Sci-Fi classics by BIPOC/minorities? I have never taken super well to ‘real life’ literature due to being a colonial historian so it’s like mixing my academic life with my leisure time. Yes, this is Read Harder, and I have some choices like collections of poetry or Monte Cristo or Confucius but I am weak for SFF. If ‘read harder’ means ‘search harder’ then heck, we’re only 6 weeks into the year. I got some time. Octavia Butler would be a good choice though I’ve already read the whole Lilith series and Kindred to boot. She’s certainly a classic. And there are a lot of amazing BIPOC modern writers who are definitely going to ‘be’ classics after the ‘requisite amount of years’. ;) But still worth looking at if they’ve made a huge impact already.

So how about it? :) Any recs for me?

[Bonnie G.]

Finally reading Giovanni's Room, one of the few Baldwin books I haven't read. I have been intending to read it for so long it might also qualify for book on my tbr the longest -- it is certainly up there.

[Juulna]

Cay, thank you so much! I’ve actually been wanting to read that book for a long time so this is a great opportunity yay!

[Sherri]

I read Passing by Nella Larsen

[Alexis]

Juulna wrote: "Are there any Fantasy or Sci-Fi classics by BIPOC/minorities? I have never taken super well to ‘real life’ literature due to being a colonial historian so it’s like mixing my academic life with my ..."

I read The Gilda Stories for this prompt. If you're into vampires and groundbreaking novels, this is for you. Book about the life and times of a runaway slave who becomes a vampire. Written in the 1990s and features women who love women.

[Juulna]

Well mark me down as…!…….checking all my boxes. *wink*

[Laura]

I’m going to read Black Boy by Richard Wright. I’ve been intimidated by it for a long time so it is perfect for a challenge—and definitely a classic.

[Tirzah]

I just finished reading The Color Purple. Dunno if others would consider it a classic but to me it’s a classic. 😅

[Octavia]

I finally got around to reading Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison for this, and it was fantastic. Borrowed it from the library, and quite by chance the edition they had was published as part of the Penguin Modern Classics imprint, so that seemed especially appropriate for this task!

[Asakosophia]

i have just read A Pale View of Hills by Kazuo Ishiguro. His debut from 1982.
It's a book from more than 20 yrs ago that is still sold and read today... do we think it counts?

[Megan]

I forgot to post when I finished this one back in May, but I read Dust Tracks on a Road by Zora Neale Hurston for this prompt.

[Emily]

I read Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie. 👍👍