Monday 19 September 2016

Top African American Fiction Writers Today

By Elizabeth Foster


The definition of African American writers still stalks controversy. Some want to define them by the color of their skin while others focus on their content. This has not stopped a range of African American fiction writers from producing captivating stories that are admired worldwide. They have captivated the minds of readers, become best sellers and received numerous awards in the process. Here are some of them.

Allen Jeffery is the author behind Song of the Shank. His narrative is based on Tom, a blind slave used to explore the themes of family, love and identity. Jeffery is an authoritative narrator whose choice of language and structure are commendable. His style can only be matched by Ulysses. It is the manner in which this novel embodies contemporary world issues that makes it an outstanding read.

Dinaw Mengestu received MacArthur Genius Grant for his excellent work. In his book All Our Names, he portrays the strange and unique friendship borne out of hardship and struggle in post-colonial Uganda. He tells the story of two friends seeking safety in a university in Kampala. This story then mutates as they migrate to Midwest in America where they seek a new life. It captures a deep portrayal of loyalty, freedom and survival told in energetic and elegant prose.

Gay Roxane is the author behind An Untamed State. He has a reputation for producing sensitive and powerful prose. His is a story of Jameson Duval, a young wife and mother. She is held captive in her homeland of Haiti. Though her father can afford, he declines to pay the ransom demanded. The author narrates about the tribulations of women at the mercy of men using them as pawns. From the novel, the life of a woman changes dramatically after such an ordeal.

Nuruddin Farah is the author behind Hiding in Plain Sight. The story features an internationally acclaimed artist by the name Bella. At a magazine cover photo shoot, she reads about a suicide bomber who took away the life of her brother. She has to halt everything and return to Nairobi in Kenya to look after her nephew and niece. It tells of family losses and redemption.

Fictional satire seems to be the driving force behind Foreign Gods, Inc. By Okey Ndibe. Ike is a taxi driver in New York who dreams of riches. His idea of getting there is by stealing a statue of a god from his Nigerian tribe and selling it in a Manhattan art exhibition. This is a satirical commentary on how American society has commercialized exotic gods.

Cynthia Bond sets back her narrative to 1963 with the story of a deflated girl retreating to Liberty in Texas. She had left New York City belle and energetic in pursuit of life and in search of her mother. Cynthia is on a mission to portray the small kind acts and hurts that mark human life. Women are very receptive and treat her charitably while men ridicule her.

Other notable authors include Teju Cole in Every Day is for the Thief and Marlon James who authored A Brief History Of Seven Killings. Notable entries in this list are Yanique Tiphanie and Helen Oyeyemi. Jacinda Townsend and Chris Ambani are the other authors who are impossible to ignore.




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