This February we're celebrating African American History Month with our favorite authors and literary titles. Below, find our most popular African American titles to teach.

#10 Fences

August Wilson's powerful play Fences examines historic racism in America, as well as explores the universal themes of family, gender roles, and responsibility. While reading the play, teachers can explain the contrast between what characters do and others' perceptions of their actions. How to Teach Fences Order Fences

#9 Warriors Don't Cry

Warriors Don't Cry is an autobiography by Melba Pattillo Beals, one of the nine students selected to join Little Rock Central High School, in Little Rock, Arkansas, as the first African-American students in what had previously been an all-white school. How to Teach Warriors Don't Cry Order Warriors Don't Cry

#8 The Help

The Help is a novel that will provide useful insights about the social climate of the civil rights movement. This book explores the racial tensions that existed in 1960s Mississippi through the relationships of the maids with the households for whom they work. How to Teach The Help Order The Help

#7 The Other Wes Moore

The Other Wes Moore is a moving nonfiction story that follows the opposing dramatic narratives of two different men who happen to have the same name. It is a great book to introduce students to biographies or memoirs. The compelling narrative exemplifies how nonfiction works can be just as interesting as novels can. How to Teach The Other Wes Moore Order The Other Wes Moore

#6 The Color of Water

McBride’s story of his mother’s remarkable life is a startling portrayal of race in America. Ruth McBride was an immigrant Russian Jew who moved to America at age two. Order The Color of Water

#5 The Secret Life of Bees

The Secret Life of Bees offers a historically and socially charged coming-of-age narrative for the classroom. Set in South Carolina in the immediate aftermath of the Civil Rights Movement, the book can ignite discussion on recent US history and the various permutations of racism, including unconscious, implicit bias, and the importance of resistance. How to Teach The Secret Life of Bees Order The Secret Life of Bees

#4 The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

Science journalist Rebecca Skloot spent eleven years researching and writing The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks—the untold story of the woman who unknowingly saved countless lives with cancer cells taken from her body at Johns Hopkins Medical Center. How to Teach The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks Order The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

#3 Invisible Man

Invisible Man brings to light many of the social and intellectual issues facing African Americans in the 1930s. Besides dealing with racism, blacks in America at this time were also struggling with their own identity within their community. These issues included black nationalism, the connection between African American identity and Marxism, and the progressive racial policies of Booker T. Washington. How to Teach Invisible Man Order Invisible Man

#2 Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

One of the most impactful texts of the abolitionist movement, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass is a first-person account of one African American man's unthinkable journey from slavery to independence in the 17th century. How to Teach Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Order Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

#1 A Raisin in the Sun

Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun was one of the first plays to depict a realistic African-American family and the struggles many of those families faced during the 1950s. The play chronicles several days in the life of the Youngers, a poor black family living in the South Side of Chicago. The family must make a difficult decision after they receive an insurance check for $10,000 from the deceased Mr. Younger's life insurance policy. The play explores the dreams and ambitions each family member has for his or her future, each one vastly different from those of the others. How to Teach A Raisin in the Sun Order A Raisin in the Sun