5 authors that capture the beauty, hardship, and love of Black women
5 authors that capture the beauty, hardship, and love of Black womenon Apr 21, 2021 The beauty of literature is in its ability to make readers, based on their own past and current experiences, empathize with characters. The gravity in chapters, paragraphs, and words comes from an authors’ ability to get inside their characters’ heads and speak to the people that will relate to that character. For Black women, many characters and authors like them did not exist. Except recently, it seems, more and more narratives surrounding Black women have risen to the surface. Narratives that do not just focus on trauma. And evil. And hardship. But ones that encapsulate a full human experience. Black women authors do not naturally have to focus on Black women. But often they do, just as I would likely base a story around an introverted white man. It’s what we know; it’s the body we live inside. But there aren’t stories out there begging to be told of another white man overcoming an obstacle. We’ve seen that play before. What we haven’t seen enough of is the essence of Black femininity. And with that said, here is a list of five incredibly talented Black women authors making waves in literature.
Yaa Gyasi
Yaa Gyasi is far and away my favorite author right now, and I have only read one of her books. That is how absolutely phenomenal Homegoing is. Homegoing traces the origins of two half-sisters born in modern-day Ghana and their descendants as the trans atlantic slave trade ravages families in Africa, as well as in America. A fictional account based in historical accuracy, Homegoing is so beautifully written that it feels poetic. And by knowing each characters’ relatives (by reading the previous chapters), the audience is treated to intimate relationships that are starkly similar to those in real life. Gyasi’s second novel, Transcendent Kingdom, has also been welcomed with rave reviews. I am seeking to tap in expeditiously.Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison was one of the greatest American novelists of all time. One of a few distinguished authors that explored what it means to be both Black and female, Morrison wrote with purpose and emotion. Her novel, Beloved, is a fan favorite, and it covers a family of former slaves dealing with a malevolent spirit still haunting them. The story was based on a real-life incident regarding Margaret Garner. Morrison inspired an entire generation of authors, Black women in particular. Just listen to what Gyasi said about her.“TONI MORRISON BLEW AWAY EVERYTHING I THOUGHT I KNEW ABOUT LITERATURE.Morrison won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993. In 2019, when she sadly passed, she left behind a legacy of acceptance, wonder, and magic for aspiring authors and book-lovers everywhere.
Sorry! No comment found for this post.