Mary Helen Washington Knihy

This book combines in one volume two now classic short story collections. The editor has added a new introduction and prefatory material."Mary Helen Washington has had a greater impact upon the formation of the canon of Afro-American literature than has any other scholar." --The New York Times Book Review

A short story collection focused on "the black woman as seen from the special angle of the black woman writer." "Mary Helen Washington has had a greater impact upon the formation of the canon of Afro-American literature than has any other scholar." —The New York Times Book Review

Set against the backdrop of the Depression and World War II in Brooklyn, the story follows Selina Boyce, a young woman navigating her identity amid her immigrant family's contrasting aspirations. Her mother is determined to secure a better future through education and homeownership, while her father yearns for their homeland in Barbados. As Selina confronts the challenges of racism and poverty, she embarks on a journey of self-discovery, making this a poignant coming-of-age narrative and a compelling depiction of the quest for the American Dream.

One of the most important works of twentieth-century American literature, Zora Neale Hurston's beloved 1937 classic, Their Eyes Were Watching God, is an enduring Southern love story sparkling with wit, beauty, and heartfelt wisdom. Told in the captivating voice of a woman who refuses to live in sorrow, bitterness, fear, or foolish romantic dreams, it is the story of fair-skinned, fiercely independent Janie Crawford, and her evolving selfhood through three marriages and a life marked by poverty, trials, and purpose. A true literary wonder, Hurston's masterwork remains as relevant and affecting today as when it was first published -- perhaps the most widely read and highly regarded novel in the entire canon of African American literature.