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Reading lists

Fifteen non-fiction books to inspire you

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The essential Harlem Renaissance reads

The Ways of White Folks

'Powerful, polemical pieces'

'Some of the best stories that have appeared in this country in years'

LANGSTON HUGHES was a central figure of the Harlem Renaissance and one of the most influential American writers of the twentieth century. Hughes published more than thirty-five books, including his award-winning debut novel, Not Without Laughter, and the short story collection, The Ways of White Folks. His journalism and non-fiction became important documents in the support and promotion of the civil rights movement.

THE CELEBRATED SHORT STORY COLLECTION FROM THE AMERICAN POET AND WRITER OFTEN CALLED THE 'POET LAUREATE OF HARLEM' 
 
A black maid forms a close bond with the daughter of the cruel white couple for whom she works. Two rich, white artists hire a black model to pose as a slave. A white-passing boy ignores his mother when they cross each other on the street. 
 
Written with sardonic wit and a keen eye for the absurdly unjust, these fourteen stories about racial tensions are as relevant today as the day they were penned, and linger in the mind long after the final page is turned. 
 
'Powerful, polemical pieces' New York Times 
 
'Some of the best stories that have appeared in this country in years' North American Review

Not Without Laughter, The Ways of White Folks, The Weary Blues

Langston Hughes (1901-1967) was a central figure of the Harlem Renaissance and one of the most influential and acclaimed American writers of the twentieth century. A renowned poet from a young age, Hughes' first collection of poetry, The Weary Blues, was published when he was just 24. He would go on to publish more than thirty-five books, including his award-winning debut novel, Not Without Laughter, and the short story collection, The Ways of White Folks. His widely-read journalism and nonfiction became important documents in the support and promotion of the civil rights movement.

Langston Hughes

VINTAGE CLASSICS' HARLEM RENAISSANCE SERIES 
 
Celebrating the finest works of the Harlem Renaissance, one of the most important Black arts movements in modern history. 
 
'White peoples maybe mistreats you an' hates you, but when you hates 'em back, you's de one what's hurted, 'cause hate makes yo' heart ugly - that's all it does' 
 
Sandy's in the fifth grade when he's forced to sit on the back row away from his white classmates and denied entry to a new amusement park. His grandmother, who is raising him alongside his mother and aunt, tells him that love is the only thing to make room for in his heart. But it's Sandy's discovery of literature that inspires him to continue his education and make sense of the unjust world he inhabits in the debut novel from one of the foremost pioneers of the Harlem Renaissance. 
 
'[Hughes] gives his readers... a guide for careful consideration of the lives of everyday black people. Such a guide is still useful to readers and writers today. Perhaps now more than ever' Angela Flournoy, New York Times

Langston Hughes

Books by Langston Hughes

Series by Langston Hughes

Everyman’s Library Contemporary Classics169 Books

Harlem Renaissance Series4 Books

Articles featuring Langston Hughes

Fifteen non-fiction books to inspire you

The essential Harlem Renaissance reads

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