Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge discussion
2022 Read Harder Challenge
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#8: Read a classic written by a POC.
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Dec 10, 2021 09:30AM
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I'm having a hard time with this one. What is the definition of a classic? Is it old? Widely read?
Tricia wrote: "I'm having a hard time with this one. What is the definition of a classic? Is it old? Widely read?"Personally, based on nothing, I usually pick books more than 20 years old that continue to have respect within their genre when 'classic' comes up on a list
Tricia wrote: "I'm having a hard time with this one. What is the definition of a classic? Is it old? Widely read?"I'm pretty sure there are entire academic arguments on this haha. I think it's mostly an older book that is still commonly read
I'm reading Giovanni's Room
Thanks for the guidance. I think I'm going to go with Their Eyes Were Watching God. It's been on my To Read list for ages!
I found this list. Maybe it will help others...https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1... . I'm planning to read One Hundred Years of Solitude.
I'll read Going to Meet the Man (James Baldwin). 
Reading more classics in general is something I'm working on. I'm leaning towards The Color Purple, Their Eyes Were Watching God, or Beloved for this one, but I'll see what I get to first.
I am considering:The Temple of My Familiar by Alice Walker
Cane by Jean Toomer
The Souls of Black Folks by W.E.B. Du Bois
Mumbo Jumbo by Ishmael Reed
Elizabeth wrote: "Reading more classics in general is something I'm working on. I'm leaning towards The Color Purple, Their Eyes Were Watching God, or Beloved for this one, b..."You can't go wrong with any of those 3 in my opinion. Their Eyes Were Watching God is an all time favorite for me.
Life Among the Piutes: Their Wrongs and ClaimsThis one seems interesting. And it's right up my alley since I love indigenous literature.
Monica wrote: "Elizabeth wrote: "Reading more classics in general is something I'm working on. I'm leaning towards The Color Purple, Their Eyes Were Watching God, or [book:Beloved|614..."I think that's the one I'm leaning towards if I only do one since I've read works from the other two authors, so this helps. :) I'm hoping to get to all three if I can though.
Not sure what I want to read yet but I have a couple to recommend. Cane is excellent, as is The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man. Both are classics of the Harlem Renaissance.
We all know that Dumas was black, right? Doesn't get a lot more classic than that, and he wrote bajillions of books. The Black Tulip is short, if you're looking for an easy path. I myself am partial to The Count of Monte Cristo.
I just finished The Count of Monte Cristo for my 2021 challenge. Dumas and I need some space, lol.
Gretel wrote: "I'll finally read Beloved."Wow, it's a FANTASTIC choice. Just be prepared; it's tough on the heart.
Holly wrote: "I found this list. Maybe it will help others...https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1... . I'm planning to read [book:One Hundred Years of Sol..."Such a good book! But I read a LOT of Spanish and South American authors, so it feels like it'd be cheating for me to just read another Alatriste novel or something. I think I'm going to choosea Black or indigenous author.
I'm reading The President by Michael Ángel Asturias as this also will be my book from Guatemala in my (forever ongoing) quest to read a translated book from every country possible.
Kayleigh wrote: "I'm reading The President by Michael Ángel Asturias as this also will be my book from Guatemala in my (forever ongoing) quest to read a translated book from every country possible."I have the same quest, so I will look into this one, thank you
The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison is so so good.
Life Among The Piutes: Their Wrongs And Claims or Crusade for Justice: The Autobiography of Ida B. Wells.
Thinking about reading The Pillow Book just because I don't do a lot of classics but I'm interested in this.
How old does a book have to be before it's considered a classic? I was under the impression that Octavia Butler's works were considered science fiction classics, but when I looked specifically I don't think any of them are older than 30 years or so.
Holly wrote: "I found this list. Maybe it will help others...https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1... . I'm planning to read [book:One Hundred Years of Sol..."Thanks Holly! Great resource :)
Tiffany wrote: "I think I'll read Kindredby Octavia Butler."That's what I'm thinking, too! I'm not sure I'm mentally ready for Beloved.
I'm going for The Count Of Monte Cristo for this one
I was leaning toward BELOVED (like many readers, here)... but finally decided on GO TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAIN by James Baldwin. Can. Not. Wait.
Gretel wrote: "I'll finally read Beloved."Great choice. It's in my top 10 books ever read, for sure.
ML wrote: "I was leaning toward BELOVED (like many readers, here)... but finally decided on GO TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAIN by James Baldwin. Can. Not. Wait."One of my favorite books ever. Hope you enjoy!
This week I finished Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. One of my subset goals this year is to read more from Nigerian authors, and this also helps me set the ground for that.
Brian wrote: "This week I finished Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. One of my subset goals this year is to read more from Nigerian authors, and this also helps me set the ground for that."There is so much great stuff out there from Nigerian authors!
Tara wrote: "The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison is so so good."Oh, thanks for the suggestion, definitely going with this.
Go Tell it on the Mountain by James Baldwin or I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou.
Tricia wrote: "Thanks for the guidance. I think I'm going to go with Their Eyes Were Watching God. It's been on my To Read list for ages!"Tricia, I read this a couple years ago and completely fell in love with it! One of my faves for sure. The dialect is a little challenging at first, but after you get used to it, the writing is so beautiful.
Can anyone recommend a classic by a Black author that does not contain any scenes of rape or sexual assault? Preferably without any themes of this, but I guess it's okay as long as it's alluded to but not depicted
Dani wrote: "Can anyone recommend a classic by a Black author that does not contain any scenes of rape or sexual assault? Preferably without any themes of this, but I guess it's okay as long as it's alluded to ..."Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, if you're okay with reading a children's book. It won a Newberry award, so I think it counts as a classic.
or
M.C. Higgins, the Great was the first book by an African American author to win a Newberry.
Question: You Don't Know Us Negroes and Other Essays was published this year, but all of the essays were published decades ago. Does this count?
Just finished The Man Who Lived Underground. Man, what a gut punch! I felt like hitting the wall after reading this book. Check out my instagram post concerning it:1. https://www.instagram.com/tv/CZBMZSrl...
I always have a difficult time with classics. I’ll be listening to an audiobook for this one, as The Autobiography of Malcom X is performed by Laurence Fishburne. I started a couple of days ago and it’s been very enjoyable thus far.
Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
Dust Tracks on a Road (other topics)A Pale View of Hills (other topics)
Invisible Man (other topics)
The Gilda Stories (other topics)
Giovanni’s Room (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Zora Neale Hurston (other topics)Alice Walker (other topics)
Jean Toomer (other topics)
W.E.B. Du Bois (other topics)
Ishmael Reed (other topics)
