The African American experience in literature and film

The University of Minnesota Libraries has a research collection of African American Studies that includes books, periodicals, film, databases, and archives.

In honor of African American History Month, we are highlighting African American literature in film adaptation in that collection. 

The books whose covers are displayed to the right are housed at Wilson Library, and the DVDs of their film adaptations are housed at the Smart Learning Commons on the second floor of Walter Library. The list below indicates the call numbers.

• Toni Morrison’s Beloved (Knopf, 1997) under call number PS3563 .O8749 B 1987 (in film adaptation under PN1997 .B45 1999)
• Alice Walker’s The Color Purple (Washington Square press, 1982) under call number PS3573 .A425 C6 1983 (in film adaptation under PS3573 .A425 C66 1997)
• Walter Mosley’s Devil in a Blue Dress (Norton, 1990), under call number PS3563 .O888456 D48 1990 (in film adaptation under PN1997 D4558x 1998)
• Gordon Parks’s The Learning Tree (Fawcett Publications, 1964), under call number 813P236 OL (film adaptation under PN1997 .L43 2011)
• Sapphire’s Push (Knopf, 1996), under call number PS3569 .A63 P87 1996 (adapted to film as “Precious,” under PN1997.2 .P73 2010)
• Alex Haley’s Roots (Doubleday, 1976), under call number E185.97 .H24 A33 (1977 adaptation as a TV series under PN1992.77 .R6687 2007).