Hurston's novel Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937) is probably the most important of Hurston' s works to read after "Sweat." Also set in Eatonville, it follows the story of Janie Crawford and her clashes with the moral code of the town.

The Color Purple (1982) is Alice Walker's novel about the difficult life of a girl named Celie, whose fortunes finally begin to change with the arrival of her husband's lover in her home. Not only is this highly regarded novel heavily allusive to Hurston's work, it addresses some of the themes of "Sweat" in a more modern and thorough light.

The New Negro, an anthology of some of the most influential writers of the Harlem Renaissance, was published by Alain Locke in 1925. It includes Hurston's short story "Spunk," and it is a superb way to enter the literary world of...