Gloria Naylor’s 1996: A Teaching Companion (Edited Collection)
Gloria Naylor’s fictionalized memoir 1996 (2005) remains the least studied but most controversial selection in her decades-long literary output. Published by Third World Press at the tailend of her illustrious career, 1996 stands in stark contrast to Naylor’s iconic tetralogy — which includes Women of Brewster Place (1982), Linden Hills (1985), Mama Day (1988), and Bailey’s Cafe (1992), as well as the sibling text Men of Brewster Place (1998) — by centering the author herself in its bold critiques of state power and the ways marginalized communities fight to uphold it.