Hi Kay. I think thats a neat idea for your book club. I read several of the books you mentioned this year.
I read Huckleberry Finn and re-read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. I read part of TS when I was a kid, and had a bit of a crush on Huck Finn. And I do remember suddenly wanting to be a boy growing up along the Mississippi River.
Reading it now, I can appreciate TS more than I did as a child.
I found I liked Tom Sawyer a bit better than HF because I found the writing tighter and more pollished. Also, it did not have as many long and drawn out parts as HF.
But I did like Huckleberry Finn a lot. Though not as exciting as TS, it had a better look at the events and changing ideas of the time.
I think I would suggest reading TS prior to reading HF. It does give a bit of background and really gets one excited to read HF. Ps. these books are perfect for summer reads.

I read Uncle Tom's Cabin a few months ago. It started out with some great writing and a mix of tragedy and humor. Then It took a different turn. There was a great number of chapter focusing mainly on religion. Those parts were quite longer than I had imagined (because I did know that religion was a major factor in this book) and I had trouble getting thru them. But it is an important read nonetheless.

You mentioned one book I do not know, 'The Diary of a Slave Girl'. Who is it by?
There are two other books about slavery on my To Be Read List. They are Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl- by Harriet Jacobs, and My Bondage and my Freedom- Frederck Douglass. I have heard some of the history of Douglass, and am very interested to read this book.
CMK

CMK-Oh, thank you for the posting! Indeed, I meant Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, but misspoke (Diary of a Slave Girl by McWilliams is young adult fiction).

Thanks for the head's up about Uncle Tom's Cabin, too. I had no idea what to expect... it might not be an easy sell to this group of women, but I'm determined to read it myself.

The reason I am thinking of Huck Finn is because it is considered a much more meaningful text on race than Tom Sawyer (though TS is really entertaining). And getting these women to read two such books will be nearly impossible. I have to be careful about how I present the selections to them.

And Frederick Douglass--great idea. I went to an exhibit on Lincoln this past weekend, and there was a mention of his meeting with Douglass.

If anything else occurs to you, please let me know. We have our meeting on December 3. It is always a raucous affair, with secret ballots, accusations of influence pedaling, and behind-the-scenes lobbying. I can't wait!

K

I think any of Tori Morrison's books would fit the bill, with the exception of Beloved since it deals with a child's death.

Not sure if you want to stick mostly with the Civil War era, but, if not, Intruder in the Dust by William Faulkner is a look at racism in a small, Southern town when a bi-racial man is accused of murdering a white man. Warning, it does contain some offensive terms towards African Americans.

Another one set during the Civil War is The March by E.L. Doctorow. I thought it was very good, and I liked how the book is told from several different perspectives.

I haven't read it, but I've heard of a book called Someone Knows my Name (I think the author is Lawrence Hill?) that is about a girl born into slavery down South.

To Kill a Mockingbird if everyone hasn't already read it to pieces.

-Kay, is that Diary of a Slave girl from the Dear America series? I do belive I might have read that book. I have read several books from that series and thought them very good and historically accurate. I rather think it a shame that they are young adult books though. It seems most young adults are disinclined to read anything, weather it is labled young adult or not.

I came back to say that you might want to hold off reading Uncle Tom's Cabin, or just read it yourself. I just remembered that there was a part where a little girl dies, which might be too much for your friend.

I was just going to metion To Kill a Mockingbird, but Carolyn beat me to it! I am ashamed to admit that I haven't read this book. It is on my list though.
Two others I have not read but would be appropriate for your discussion: The Red Badge of Courage, by Stephen Crane (about the Civil War), and The Souls of Black Folk, by W.E.B. DuBois.
CMK

Oh, thanks everyone, for all the suggestions, which are terrific! I'll add these to my list. It'll give the group a chance to make selections if they accept my proposal. To Kill a Mockingbird would indeed make an excellent addition, as will The March, Red Badge of Courage, and The Souls of Black Folks. Someone Knows My Name sounds terrific--I read a synopsis. Thank you all!

CMK, yes, the Diary of a Slave Girl was from the Dear America series. It does sound good. My sister-in-law loves reading Young Adult fiction (she got an undergraduate degree in Literature from Stanford) so at least the books don't go to waste if some adults are reading them.

Thanks for the warning about Uncle Tom's Cabin. I knew that Beloved had that terrible death of the daughter, and my friend would not be able to read it. It sounds like I'll have to read Uncle Tom's Cabin on my own--or maybe I'll convinced my OTHER book group to read it!

I really appreciate these suggestions and welcome any others that might spring to mind.

K

Both A Lesson Before Dying and A Gathering of Old Men written by Ernest Gaines, fit your African-American experience theme. Neither is very long but both are very powerful and moving.

Sister Souljah wrote one called The Coldest Winter Ever which my club read on the recommendation of a co-worker who grew up in an urban, poor, and black neighborhood. She wanted us to understand why she felt, now working for a large corporation, she had a foot in two worlds. The book is raw and sad but gives a modern perspective on an aspect of AA society alien to most of us except through a glimpse viewed on the nightly news.

A few other suggestions:

"I Been In Sorrow's Kitchen and Licked Out All the Pots" by Susan Straight. My book group read this and really liked it.
"Mama Day" by Gloria Naylor, who wrote "The Women of Brewster Place." Both of these books are of a more recent vintage than most of those you mentioned, but both are great reads.

You might also consider a book by James Baldwin, such as "Go Tell It on the Mountain," or one of his others.

"Native Son" by Richard Wright

Here is a link that might be useful: Richard Wright

Definitely the classic work of African-American writer Langston Hughes.

Also, "The Invisible Man". (I think the author is R. Ellison).

What a great idea!

Because this book is long and very detailed it probably wouldn't be a good pick for your club but I wanted to mention it along with the others in this thread. The Hemingses of Monticello by Annette Gordon-Reed is a history of a family in slavery and is very well done.

Thank you, everyone. I really appreciate your input and suggestions. What a wealth of terrific material! I'm really looking forward to presenting these to my book group, and will compile your remarks as a way to bolster my pitches.

We meet tomorrow night to discuss the last book in our current year (The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox) and I'll mention my idea to test the waters for our actual selection process that will take place in early December. Usually a member is expected to bring just 3 book suggestions to the table, so obviously my approach will break those rules!

Thank you all again--I really appreciate your terrific ideas.

Kkay, you might want to try Ben Carson's autobiography, Gifted Hands, even if it is a YA (which makes it short!) He is head of pediatric neurosurgery at Hopkins and generally considered a miracle worker. Not bad for a frustrated inner city black kid.

If you're willing to consider science fiction, I recommend any of Octavia Butler's books, such as Kindred, Parable of the Sower, or her final book, Fledgling. Kindred is a time-travel story; Parable a near-future apocalypse, and Fledgling a highly-unusual vampire story. A couple quotes from the Washington Post: "Butler is one of the finest voices in fiction  period.... A master storyteller, Butler casts an unflinching eye on racism, sexism, poverty, and ignorance and lets the reader see the terror and beauty of human nature." and "[Fledgling] doesn't just resurrect the pale trappings of vampire lore, it completely transforms them in a startlingly original story about race, family and free will."

Here is a link that might be useful: Octavia Butler website