Breath, Eyes, Memory

In her 1994 novel, Breath, Eyes, Memory, Haitian-born Edwidge Danticat examines themes of migration, gender, sexuality, and history, common themes of postcolonial literature. The novel follows the exploits of Sophie in her battles to carve an identity out of disparate languages and cultures, such as Creole, French, and English and to adapt to American ways in the Haitian diaspora after she arrives in Brooklyn, New York. Danticat's emphasis on women's experience makes her a leading younger voice of postcolonial feminism. Breath, Eyes, Memory was an Oprah Book Club selection and helped Danticat to be named one of the Best Young American Novelists by Granta magazine in 1996.

Ceremony

Leslie Marmon Silko's 1977 novel, Ceremony, is widely considered to be one of the most important works of Native-American literature written. Silko's novel celebrates the traditions and myths of the Laguna Pueblo people while examining the influence of white contact...