Native Son by Richard Wright, which was published in 1940, opens with a scene in which a family attempts to kill a rat. The protagonist, Bigger Thomas, becomes a chauffeur and eventually kills the daughter of his boss.

The Selected Poems ofLangston Hughes, pub-lishedml987,containmuchoftheworkHughes published, including the poem "Harlem." Hughes' s poems both protest injustice and celebrate beauty.

To Be Young, Gifted, and Black is a collection of autobiographical writings by Lorraine Hansfaerry published after her death in 1969. It remains one of the most well-known autobiographies of the 1960s.

Coming of Age in Mississippi, published by Anne Moody in 1968, is the story of one young woman's work during the Civil Rights movement. It focuses particularly on voter registration in the American South.

Up from Slavery is a collection of autobiographical essays by Booker T. Washington, published in 1901. Although he is...