Afro-Caribbean Literature

In this study guide collection, you'll find insightful analysis of some of the most prominent voices of Afro-Caribbean Literature, including Aimé Césaire from Martinique and Edwidge Danticat from Haiti. Read on to learn how common themes such as identity, exile, and the cultural and political consequences of colonialism play out differently in each narrative.

Publication year 1938

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Tags Afro-Caribbean Literature, Race / Racism, Biography, History: World, French Literature, Philosophy, Philosophy, Politics / Government

First published in 1938, C.L.R. James’s The Black Jacobins: Toussaint L’Ouverture and the San Domingo Revolution examines the Haitian Revolution of 1791 to 1804, with emphasis on the role of slave-turned-commander Toussaint L’Ouverture. As a historical treatise, the book aims to unfold the inner workings of the Revolution, with the socialist views of the author, a Trinidadian historian, framing the analysis. Readers have come to recognize The Black Jacobins as not only a crucial exploration... Read The Black Jacobins Summary


Publication year 2009

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Identity: Gender, Society: Colonialism, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Identity: Race

Tags Historical Fiction, Race / Racism, Afro-Caribbean Literature, History: World


Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Relationships: Mothers, Life/Time: Coming of Age

Tags Fantasy, Fairy Tale / Folklore, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Action / Adventure, Afro-Caribbean Literature, Children's Literature


Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Tags Realistic Fiction, Afro-Caribbean Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance

Published in 2016, Nicola Yoon’s The Sun Is Also a Star is a young-adult novel and National Book Award Finalist. Told from multiple character perspectives, the novel tells the story of the romance that transpires over one day between two young people, Natasha Katherine Kingsley and Daniel Jae Ho Bae, and the impact they have on the people around them. Natasha and Daniel come from different racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds. Natasha is an undocumented... Read The Sun Is Also a Star Summary


Publication year 1922

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Society: Immigration, Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia

Tags Lyric Poem, Immigration / Refugee, Afro-Caribbean Literature, Harlem Renaissance, Food


Publication year 1961

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Society: Colonialism

Tags Race / Racism, Existentialism, Afro-Caribbean Literature, Colonialism / Postcolonialism, History: European, Sociology, History: World, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Social Justice, Classic Fiction, Politics / Government

The Wretched of the Earth (1961) is a nonfiction book by Frantz Fanon, a French West Indian psychiatrist and philosopher. Together with such texts as Edward Said’s Orientalism (1978), Gayatri Spivak’s “Can the Subaltern Speak?” (1988), and Homi Bhabha’s The Location of Culture (1994), The Wretched of the Earth is a founding text of modern postcolonial studies. It is also Frantz Fanon’s most internationally acclaimed book, translated into more than 25 languages, though he is... Read The Wretched of the Earth Summary