Black American Literature

Maya Angelou by Linda Wagner-Martin A comprehensive biographical and critical reading of the works of American poet and memoirist Maya Angelou (1928-2014).

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou Superbly told, with the poet's gift for language and observation, Angelou's autobiography of her childhood in Arkansas - a world of which most Americans are ignorant.

Octavia E. Butler by Gerry Canavan Butler's life as an African American woman--an alien in American society and among science fiction writers--informed the powerful works that earned her an ardent readership and acclaim both inside and outside science fiction. Gerry Canavan offers a critical and holistic consideration of Butler's career. Drawing on Butler's personal papers, Canavan tracks the false starts, abandoned drafts, tireless rewrites, and real-life obstacles that fed Butler's frustrations and launched her triumphs.