Unlike any other book of its kind, this volume celebrates published works from a broad range of American ethnic groups not often featured in the typical canon of literature.This culturally rich encyclopedia contains 160 alphabetically arranged entries on African American, Asian American, Latino/a, and Native American literary traditions, among others. The book introduces the uniquely American mosaic of multicultural literature by chronicling the achievements of American writers of non-European descent and highlighting the ethnic diversity of works from the colonial era to the present.The work features engaging topics like the civil rights movement, bilingualism, assimilation, and border narratives. Entries provide historical overviews of literary periods along with profiles of major authors and great works, including Toni Morrison, Maxine Hong Kingston, Maya Angelou, Sherman Alexie, A Raisin in the Sun, American Born Chinese, and The House on Mango Street. The book also provides concise overviews of genres not often featured in textbooks, like the Chinese American novel, African American young adult literature, Mexican American autobiography, and Cuban American poetry.

Includes cultural works not often highlighted in traditional textbooks, such as Iranian American literature, Dominican American literature, and Puerto Rican American literature

PrefaceIntroductionA-Z EntriesAfrican American AutobiographyAfrican American DramaAfrican American Gay LiteratureAfrican American Lesbian LiteratureAfrican American NovelAfrican American PoetryAfrican American Science FictionAfrican American Slave NarrativeAfrican American StereotypesAfrican American Young Adult LiteratureAlexie, Sherman Joseph, Jr.Alvarez, JuliaAmerican Born ChineseAnaya, RudolfoAngelou, MayaArab American AutobiographyArab American NovelArab American StereotypesAssimilationAutobiography of Malcolm X, TheBaldwin, JamesBambara, Toni CadeBelovedBilingualismBlack BoyBlanco, RichardBlues, TheBluest Eye, TheBorder NarrativesBrooks, GwendolynCanonCaribbean (Anglophone) American AutobiographyCaribbean (Anglophone) American NovelCaribbean (Anglophone) American PoetryChinese American AutobiographyChinese American DramaChinese American NovelChinese American PoetryChinese American StereotypesCisneros, SandraCivil Rights MovementCliff, MichelleColor Purple, TheCooper, J. (Joan) CaliforniaCuban American AutobiographyCuban American NovelCuban American PoetryCulture ClashDanticat, EdwidgeDiaz, JunotDominican American NovelDominican American PoetryDouglass, FrederickDove, RitaDown These Mean StreetsEllison, Ralph WaldoErdrich, LouiseEthnicityEurocentrismFilipino American NovelGaines, Ernest J.Galarza, ErnestoGarcía, CristinaHaley, AlexHansberry, LorraineHarlem RenaissanceHawai'i LiteratureHawaiian LiteratureHosseini, KhaledHouse on Mango Street, TheHughes, LangstonHurston, Zora NealeI Know Why the Caged Bird SingsIdentityInternmentInvisible ManIranian American LiteratureIslas, Arturo, Jr.Jacobs, HarrietJapanese American AutobiographyJapanese American NovelJasmineJazzJones, Edward P.Joy Luck Club, TheKincaid, JamaicaKing, Martin Luther, Jr.Kingston, Maxine HongKorean American LiteratureLahiri, JhumpaLarsen, NellaLaviera, TatoLee, Chang-raeLesson before Dying, ALorde, AudreMarshall, PauleMcBride, JamesMexican American AutobiographyMexican American Children's LiteratureMexican American DramaMexican American Gay LiteratureMexican American Lesbian LiteratureMexican American PoetryMexican American StereotypesMomaday, Navarre ScottMoody, AnneMorrison, ToniMukherjee, BharatiMulticulturalismNative American AutobiographyNative American DramaNative American NovelNative American Oral TextsNative American PoetryNative American StereotypesNaylor, GloriaNuyoricanObama, Barack HusseinOkada, JohnOrtiz, Simon J.Ortiz Cofer, JudithPassingPedagogy and U.S. Ethnic LiteraturesPiñero, MiguelPuerto Rican American AutobiographyPuerto Rican American DramaPuerto Rican American Gay LiteraturePuerto Rican American Lesbian LiteraturePuerto Rican American NovelPuerto Rican American PoetryPuerto Rican StereotypesRaceRacismRaisin in the Sun, ARechy, JohnRivera, TomásRodriguez, RichardSignifyingSilent DancingSilko, Leslie MarmonSong of SolomonSouth Asian American LiteratureSpiritualsStreet, TheTan, AmyTheir Eyes Were Watching GodThomas, PiriTrickster, African AmericanTrickster, Native AmericanValdez, LuisVietnamese American LiteratureVillarreal, José AntonioVizenor, GeraldWalker, AliceWay to Rainy Mountain, TheWhitenessWilson, AugustWilson, Harriet E.Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood among Ghosts, TheWright, RichardSelected BibliographyAbout the Editor and ContributorsIndex