The Complete Stories by Zora Neale Hurston

This collection of stories spans a wide range of time (from Hurston's early 30s to just before her death) and includes all her published short fiction and a number of unpublished stories as well (including one, "A Woman in Gaul" which was almost burned after Hurston's death). It also covers a wide range of subjects and genres: some stories draw heavily on the Southern, African-American folklore that Hurston collected professionally, some are set in Harlem, some are fantastical--bordering on magical realism, and some are non-fictional, anthropological pieces. One of the themes that carries throughout the stories is the question of understanding (and language's role in that understanding)--can we really understand each other? how can we use language (or laughter) to both reveal and hide parts of ourselves to protect ourselves from the world? The figure of John (the trickster who came from Africa and outwits Massa despite being enslaved) is key to many of the stories. This collection contains some real gems and demonstrates the range and skill of Hurston's career.

Quicksand by Nella Larsen

This book tells the story of Helga Crane, daughter of a Danish mother and an African American father. As I read the book this time, I particularly noticed how vivid colors are important to Helga, and how she embraces conspicuous consumption as a means of navigating the world around her. While she's not the easiest character in the world to sympathize with, I found the ending, in which she finds herself as disconnected from her children as her parents were from her and in which the Helga Crane we've been reading about throughout the novel dies (the character doesn't die, but she does stop trying), very moving.