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In college, I took an entire course on the Harlem Renaissance. I picked it knowing I had a passing interest, but I also picked it to meet a requirement for literature from a particular period of time and it fit my schedule. Little did I know at the time how much I would fall in love with this era of American literature, dedicating months after the course ended to learning and writing as much as I could about the Little Magazine movement within the Harlem Renaissance. I’ve written a bit about them before on Book Riot, and you can dive in here.
The Harlem Renaissance encapsulates the Black creative explosion between roughly the end of World War I and the beginning of the Great Depression. This era brought about a huge increase in Black literature, Black music, Black art, and Black creative endeavors. While centered in Harlem, Black American creators considered part of the movement didn’t all reside or spend time in Harlem. While the Great Migration* led so many Black artists to call Harlem and her creative climate home, other Black writers, musicians, and artists who moved to places like Detroit and Chicago found themselves included within the Harlem Renaissance, too.
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It’s Black History Month in the United States. Every outlet will be sharing excellent roundups of Black literature, and, if they’re doing their jobs well, those same outlets will continue to highlight Black voices and stories every other month of the year as well.
One thing I haven’t seen explored a whole lot when it comes to YA is YA literature that centers or celebrates the Harlem Renaissance. That’s probably because there are very few YA books taking on the topic at all—despite the fact this is ripe territory for excellent storytelling. Let’s take a look at the fiction and nonfiction for teens where the Harlem Renaissance plays a big role.
Augusta Savage: The Shape of a Sculptor’s Life by Marilyn Nelson
Get to know one of the most renowned Black sculptors with this biography of Augusta Savage. Savage’s work blossomed during the Harlem Renaissance, and in the 1930s, she was commissioned to create a bust of W.E.B. Du Bois for the New York Public Library. Despite her talent and her teaching skills for other young artists, Savage faced discrimination—she was denied at least one fellowship based entirely on her race and her race alone. She pushed back, and she found herself a leader pushing for equal rights for artists.
Flamboyants: The Queer Harlem Renaissance I Wish I’d Known by George M. Johnson and illustrated by Charly Palmer
The Harlem Renaissance was not only an incredible time for Black artists. It was an incredible time for queer Black artists, whose work could reflect people and stories more openly than in the past. That didn’t mean there wasn’t still discrimination and bigotry, as well as pushback, but queer artistry was part and parcel of the era.
Johnson’s work of nonfiction is a collective biography of some of the well-known and lesser-known queer creators of the Harlem Renaissance. It’s an immersive book and one that will leave those who have a strong knowledge of this time frame learning something new themselves. In addition to the biographies, readers get to know a little more about Johnson and where and how the artists of this time period have impacted them personally. Add Palmer’s incredible artistry and you’re in for an utter treat.
Harlem Summer by Walter Dean Myers
Mark is 16 and has a whole summer ahead of him. As much as he’d love to do nothing more than spend it playing with his jazz band, his parents make him get a j-o-b.
The job he gets is pretty dang impressive, though: he’s an assistant at The Crisis, one of the little magazines of the era spearheaded by Langston Hughes and Countee Cullen.
Even with this job, he’s not making enough money. When Mark’s given an opportunity to make some cash via an offer from piano player Fats Waller, he takes it. Little does Mark know that means he’ll be running into Dutch Schultz, a gangster who doesn’t have Mark’s best interests at heart.
One Last Word: Wisdom from the Harlem Renaissance by Nikki Grimes
What would a contemporary collection of poetry from Black voices look like if it were inspired by the works of the Harlem Renaissance? That’s the premise of this collection of poems from Nikki Grimes.
But this isn’t only a collection of poetry. Each of the poems, inspired by Harlem Renaissance greats like Jean Toomer and Langston Hughes, among others, is paired with an illustration from some of the best Black artists today.
This collection leans a little bit younger than traditional YA, but poetry like this is ageless. Grab it for yourself or share it with your favorite teens eager to immerse themselves in Black creativity of yesterday and today.
You can also read this piece from author Grimes over at We Need Diverse Books about Ida Rowland, a Harlem Renaissance poet and children’s book publisher.
This Ravenous Fate by Hayley Dennings
Ready to get down with a little genre fiction set during the Harlem Renaissance? Look no further.
It’s 1926 and reapers—vampires that were once human—have been taking to the streets of New York City. Fortunately, there are reaper hunters throughout the city to keep people safe. (Un)fortunately, the Saint family has a monopoly on reaper hunting which means that 18-year-old Elise Saint, heir to her family’s business, is a prime target of Harlem reapers.
Layla Hunter is a reaper with a dark past and a desire to get back at Elise Saint, who betrayed her. As more reapers are reanimating into humans again and leaving a trail of blood with them, Elise realizes she needs to team up with Layla to find out what’s going on. Even if it means her own life—and Layla’s life—might be in danger in such a partnership.
Even if it means the two of them might find more in common than either could have imagined.
*Though not a YA book, I cannot recommend reading Isabel Wilkerson’s The Warmth of Other Suns any more highly to learn more about the Great Migration. Pair it with the fantastic Sundown Towns by James Loewen to learn about how, as Black immigration moved north, so, too, did sundown towns. Many of those sundown towns still exist.
YA Book News
It’s been a minute since we’ve had a news roundup, but no time like the present to catch up on the latest in the world of YA.
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