James McBride's 6 favorite books

The novelist, screenwriter, and saxophonist recommends works by Toni Morrison, Gary Smith, and more

James McBride
(Image credit: Elisabetta Villa/Getty Images)

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison (Vintage, $14). There's no book that better captures the frustrations, hopes, dreams, and disappointments of black American girls. This book was written before Ms. Morrison outgrew the storytelling form that most writers must adhere to. She's a genius. She can fly. The rest of us have to wait for the subway.

Becoming a Man by Paul Monette (Harper Perennial, $14). I read this book after several of my close friends died of AIDS. I can't recall a book that so clearly captures the difficulty of growing up gay in America. Many of those issues are, sadly, as pertinent now as ever — though we are making progress. Monette was a wonderfully gifted writer. He humanizes a part of the world that so many of us think we know.

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