Today I thought I would show some love to the male P.O.C. authors who have
never ever let me down. These are the six five "go to" authors I will always
get a good read from no matter what. Some of them I haven't read in a
long time and a couple are newer discoveries. Disclaimer time! There
are more than five P.O.C. authors in my reading collection but I wanted
to feature the top ones who have stood the test of time in my reading
life. Also they are in no particular order.
By the way, in case you missed it I am doing a bi-weekly post on this
blog to feature books and authors that are P.O.C. (people of color) to
give them all a bit more time in the spotlight and I would love, love
for you to join me. (The covers are linked to the Amazon.com page and bios are from Goodreads.com)
Richard Wright
Richard Nathaniel Wright was an
African-American author of powerful, sometimes controversial novels,
short stories and non-fiction. Much of his literature concerned racial
themes. His work helped redefine discussions of race relations in
America in the mid-20th century.
Books by Richard Wright
Jason Mott
Jason Mott lives in
southeastern North Carolina. He has a BFA in Fiction and an MFA in
Poetry, both from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. His
poetry and fiction has appeared in various journals such as Prick of the
Spindle, The Thomas Wolfe Review, The Kakalak Anthology of Carolina
Poets, Measure and Chautauqua. He was nominated for a 2009 Pushcart
Prize award and Entertainment Weekly listed him as one of their 10 “New
Hollywood: Next Wave” people to watch.
He is the author of two
poetry collections: We Call This Thing Between Us Love and “…hide behind
me…” The Returned is his first novel.
Books by Jason Mott
James Baldwin
James Arthur Baldwin was an American novelist, essayist, playwright, poet, and social critic.
James
Baldwin offered a vital literary voice during the era of civil rights
activism in the 1950s and '60s. The eldest of nine children, his
stepfather was a minister. At age 14, Baldwin became a preacher at the
small Fireside Pentecostal Church in Harlem. In the early 1940s, he
transferred his faith from religion to literature. Critics, however,
note the impassioned cadences of Black churches are still evident in his
writing. Go Tell It on the Mountain, his first novel, is a partially autobiographical account of his youth. His essay collections Notes of a Native Son, Nobody Knows My Name, and The Fire Next Time were influential in informing a large white audience.
Books by James Baldwin
Farahad Zama
Farahad Zama was born in Vizag
on the Eastern coast of India in 1966. After obtaining a Master's
degree in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of
Engineering at Kharagpur, near Kolkata, he moved to Mumbai to work for
an investment bank. An arranged marriage to a Vizag girl soon followed.
His career took him to New York, Zurich and Luxembourg and finally
brought him to London for six months. Sixteen years later, Farahad is
still in South London with his Vizag girl and two Croydon-born boys.
Farahad works in the City and writes on his commute and at weekends. The Marriage Bureau for Rich People
is his first novel. He is delighted with its success – it was a Richard
& Judy and Daily Mail book of the month, short listed for Best New
Writer of the Year at the British Book Awards, Best Published Fiction at
the Muslim Writers Awards and Melissa Nathan Awards for Comedy and
Romance. The book is being translated into eight languages.
Books by Farahad Zama
Paulo Coelho
The Brazilian author PAULO COELHO
was born in 1947 in the city of Rio de Janeiro. Before dedicating his
life completely to literature, he worked as theatre director and actor,
lyricist and journalist. In 1986, PAULO COELHO did the pilgrimage to
Saint James of Compostella, an experience later to be documented in his
book The Pilgrimage. In the following year, COELHO published The
Alchemist. Slow initial sales convinced his first publisher to drop the
novel, but it went on to become one of the best selling Brazilian books
of all time. Other titles include Brida (1990), The Valkyries (1992), By
the river Piedra I sat Down and Wept (1994), the collection of his best
columns published in the Brazilian newspaper Folha de São Paulo entitle
Maktub (1994), the compilation of texts Phrases (1995), The Fifth
Mountain (1996), Manual of a Warrior of Light (1997), Veronika decides
to die (1998), The Devil and Miss Prym (2000), the compilation of
traditional tales in Stories for parents, children and grandchildren
(2001), Eleven Minutes (2003), The Zahir (2005), The Witch of Portobello
(2006) and Winner Stands Alone (to be released in 2009). During the
months of March, April, May and June 2006, Paulo Coelho traveled to
celebrate the 20th anniversary of his pilgrimage to Saint James of
Compostella in 1986.
Books by Paulo Coelho
You know I realized when I was putting this post together. One, I read more books by women then men. And two, since I read more male authors I don't read many books by male POC authors. I need to change that because this was real work putting this list together. And you what to know a secret? I think I have read only one or two books by each of these great authors. LORD! I need more men (authors) in my life. LOL!
May 14: POC Books on my Shelf Right Now
May 28: POC Covers I Love
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