The Souls of Black Folk - with "The Talented Tenth" & "The Souls of White Folk" - W.E.B. Du Bois

When The Souls of Black Folk was first published in 1903, it had a galvanizing effect on the conversation about race in America–and it remains both a touchstone in the literature of African America and a beacon in the fight for civil rights. Believing that one can know the “soul” of a race by knowing the souls of individuals, W. E. B. Du Bois combines history and stirring autobiography to reflect on the magnitude of American racism and to chart a path forward against oppression, and introduces the now-famous concepts of the color line, the veil, and double-consciousness.