Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self by Danielle Evans
Published in 2010, Danielle Evans’ collection of short stories follows the years and stages between childhood and finally being a grown-up for Black girls. It opens with Virgins, which was originally printed in The Paris Review and appeared in The Best American Short Stories 2008. The story centers on the friendship between two Black girls, whose love for one another cannot combat the aggressive forms of sexuality they encounter. The collection continues with stories like Harvest, Wherever You Go There You Are and Someone Ought to Tell Her There’s Nowhere to Go.
Coffee Will Make You Black by April Sinclair
Published in 1995, April Sinclair’s book takes place on Chicago’s South Side in the mid-to-late 1960s. The book tells the story of Jean “Stevie” Stevenson, a young Black woman, as she grows up through the Civil Rights and Black Power movements.
