Manhattan · 110th–155th St

Books set in Harlem

From the Harlem Renaissance to today, the uptown heart of Black American literature, and some of the city's most important novels.

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5 books in Harlem

Cover of Invisible Man
1Fiction · Classics

Invisible Man

Ralph Ellison · 1952

A young Black man's search for identity takes him from the South to the streets of Harlem.

Pinned at: Harlem, around 125th St

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Cover of Jazz
2Fiction · Literature & Fiction

Jazz

Toni Morrison · 1992

Love, jealousy and the music of the city, set in Jazz Age Harlem.

Pinned at: Lenox Avenue, Harlem, 1926

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Cover of Passing
3Fiction · Classics2021 Movie

Passing

Nella Larsen · 1929

Two childhood friends reconnect in Harlem, one of whom has been passing as white.

Pinned at: Harlem in the 1920s

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Cover of Go Tell It on the Mountain
4Fiction · Classics

Go Tell It on the Mountain

James Baldwin · 1953

One Saturday in 1935, a fourteen-year-old preacher's stepson wrestles with faith and family.

Pinned at: A storefront church in Harlem

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Cover of Yes, Chef
5Nonfiction · Cooking & WineNYT Bestseller

Yes, Chef

Marcus Samuelsson · 2012

From Ethiopia to Sweden to the top of New York's kitchens, and finally home to Harlem.

Pinned at: Red Rooster, Lenox Ave at 125th St

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