WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - There was a time when the term “African-American literature” referred to the work of literary giants such as Langston Hughes, James Baldwin, Ralph Ellison, Toni Morrison, Alice Walker and Zora Neale Hurston. Today, it includes “Desperate Hoodwives” by a pair who go by the pen names Meesha Mink and De’nesha Diamond.I usually go for books somewhere in the middle between the Pulitzer Prize winners and the stuff littering the literary landscape.
In honor of Black History Month, here’s my salute to some of my favorite contemporary novels by black authors. They are well-written and entertaining. Their characters either made me laugh out loud or cry. Some ticked me off. Others wouldn’t leave me alone, dancing in my head for days after I closed the book on them.
Bottom line: They left a memorable impression. And that’s what a good book should do.
“Sugar” by Bernice L. McFadden (2001)
Pearl’s life changes forever when she forges an unlikely friendship with Sugar, a prostitute with an eerie resemblance to her dead daughter, Jude. The high and mighty Christian women of Bigelow, an African-American town in 1955 Arkansas, shun Sugar and are mortified by Pearl’s relationship with her. Sugar helps Pearl, frigid since Jude’s brutal murder 15 years earlier, find joy again. And Sugar, an orphan raised in a brothel, finds love for the first time. But a horrific act of violence nearly destroys Sugar and reveals the truth about Jude’s murder.
Why it’s on my list: McFadden had me at the first sentence, “Jude was dead,” and kept me hooked with her poetic language, vivid descriptions and rich characters. “Sugar” invaded my dreams weeks after I finished this riveting tale.
“Disappearing Acts” by Terry McMillan (1989)
Franklin, a high school dropout, alcoholic and in-and-out-of-work carpenter, is taking a vacation from women while he gets his “constitution” together. Music teacher and aspiring singer Zora is trying to figure out why she always chooses the wrong man. They meet, and love knocks them for a loop. Things get sticky when Zora learns he’s a father of two and still legally married. They’re further complicated when she gets pregnant and he loses his job.
Why it’s on my list: It’s been more than 15 years since I met Franklin and Zora, but I still remember taking them to bed with me every night. It was the first book I’d read with characters so lifelike that I forgot they weren’t real. I’ve been a fan ever since.
“The Other Woman” by Eric Jerome Dickey (2003)
A workaholic television news producer is pushed to the edge when she learns her husband, a teacher, has been cheating on her. The other woman’s husband turns out to be the person who informs her of the affair, and the dejected spouses form an alliance. When the two couples finally come face to face, their lives are forever altered.
Why it’s on my list: When my sister suggested it, I was reluctant to read yet another story about adultery. This is anything but, and it reads like a fast-paced thriller. Dickey’s ability to get inside the head of a female is a skill to be envied. And I was so engrossed in the story, I didn’t even realized Dickey never tells us the protaganist’s name.
“Love on the Dotted Line” by David E. Talbert (2006)
Morgan has had it with failed relationships. When the contract lawyer learns her latest lover is not monogamous, she decides her next man is going to pledge his fidelity in writing. Enter Charles, a former NBA player who owns a car dealership. In the heat of passion, Morgan whips out a contract and asks Charles to sign on the dotted line. When he eventually cheats, she takes him to court, and the games begin.
Read More:News & Observer
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