The Big Read: a Zora Neale Hurston Booklist

The Hatwearer's Lesson by Yolanda Joe.
Grandma Ollie and her granddaughter Terri have been together since Terri's mom passed away in Grandma Ollie's arms, giving birth. Born with an extraordinary sixth sense, Grandma Ollie knows just when things are going to happen, good and bad. So when her pen runs out the day she goes to enter Terri's engagement into her bible, Grandma Ollie knows something's wrong with her granddaughter, now a prominent attorney living up North. RC 58495.

The Good Negress by A.J. Verdelle.
Rejoining her family in 1963 Detroit in order to help prepare for a new baby, Denise Palms witnesses her two older brothers' painful entrance into the adult world and questions her own heritage in the light of a tutor's relentless instruction. RC 43632.

Sugar by Bernice McFadden.
Set in a small Arkansas town in the 1950s, this tale of loyalty and friendship between two African American women finds Jude turning to the church after the death of her daughter, and to a young woman who turns out to be a prostitute. RC 53355.

Passing by Nella Larsen.
Set in the 1920s, this novel portrays the life of an African-American woman who attempts to pass for white. RC 40702.

Angel of Harlem by Kuwana Haulsey.
A historical novel based on the life of Dr. May Chinn, the first black female physician in New York City. Her odyssey from aspiring musician, through her struggles against racism to accomplish her goal of becoming a doctor and her friendships with Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston are included. BR 17140.

Clover: A Novel by Dori Sanders.
After her father dies within hours of being married to a white woman, a ten-year-old black girl learns with her new mother to overcome grief and to adjust to a new place in their rural black South Carolina community. RC 31045.

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston.
When independent Janie Crawford returns home, her small African-American community begins to buzz with gossip about the outcome of her affair with a younger man, in a novel set in the 1930s South. BR 16074; RC 35745.

Jonah's Gourd Vine: A Novel by Zora Neale Hurston.
John Buddy Pearson, a young Black man who becomes a popular pastor at Zion Hope, is unable to reconcile his good intentions and his natural instincts. RC 33181.

Moses, Man of the Mountain by Zora Neale Hurston.
A retelling of the story of Moses serves as an allegory for the struggle of American Blacks for release from slavery. RC 24396.

Seraph on the Suwanee: A Novel by Zora Neale Hurston.
In a perceptive study of the meaning of love, two people find themselves at once deeply in love and deeply at odds. RC 33643.

Tell My Horse: Voodoo and Life in Haiti and Jamaica by Zora Neale Hurston.
The author recounts her experiences as an initiate into the voodoo practices of Haiti and Jamaica in the 1930s. RC 55098.

Every Tongue Got to Confess: Negro Folk-tales From the Gulf States by Zora Neale Hurston.
Recently discovered, this new book by the master of African-American folklore in more than fifty years features folktales about love, slavery, faith, family, race, and community, collected in the late 1920s. RC 53958.

Dust Tracks On A Road by Zora Neale Hurston.
Presents the story of an African American woman who rose from poverty to become an author who held a prominent place among the artists and intellectuals of the Harlem Renaissance. RC 24273.

I Love Myself When I am Laughing ... and Then Again When I am Looking Mean and Impressive: A Zora Neale Hurston Reader edited by Alice Walker.
Anthology of essays, folklore and fiction by a leading figure in the Harlem Renaissance. RC 33319.

Mules and Men by Zora Neale Hurston.
This collection of seventy African American folktales and voodoo rituals resulted from the author's travels across the southern United States in the late 1920s. Along with the folklore, Hurston includes an account of her experiences as a collector. She records the stories in the dialects spoken at the time. Some strong language. 1935. RC 55230.

Mule Bone: A Comedy of Negro Life by Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston.
he complete script of the three-act play is accompanied by the Hurston short story, and notes on Lincoln Center Theater's adaptation. RC 33663.

Sorrow's Kitchen: The Life and Folklore of Zora Neale Hurston by Mary E. Lyons.
RC 41455.

Wrapped In Rainbows: The Life of Zora Neale Hurston by Valerie Boyd.
RC 56643.

The Three Witches collected by Zora Neale Hurston adapted by Joyce Carol Thomas.
Three hungry witches set out to eat two orphaned children while their grandmother is away at the market. BR 17024.

For questions about this information, contact Shiela A. Pollock (608) 224-5395

Last updated on 2/28/2008 8:51:58 AM