Annie Allen by Gwendolyn Brooks
Written by Gwendolyn Brooks and published in 1949, Annie Allen is a book of poetry comprised of three parts. Each part follows an African-American girl, Annie, growing up. The first part Notes from the Childhood and Girlhood includes 11 poems detailing Annie’s birth, her mother and her reaction to racism, killing and death. The Anniad and three Appendix poems, depict Annie’s dreams of a lover who goes to war, returns to her, marries her, leaves her and comes back home to die. The last section, The Womanhood, shows Annie’s outlook on the world. This book made Brooks the first African-American woman to win a Pulitzer Prize.
Assata: An Autobiography by Assata Shakur
The political Assata: An Autobiography was published in 1987. With complete openness, Assata Shakur, formerly JoAnne Chesimard, recounts the experiences that led her to a life of activism and her time with the Black Panthers. Two years after her conviction, Shakur escaped from prison. She gained political asylum in Cuba and now resides there.
