The Rise Of Young Adult Black Science Fiction: An Analysis Of Contemporary Novels By African American Women

Young Adult Science Fiction has gone through significant change since the beginning of the twenty-first century, with the inclusion of diverse authors and characters that challenge the lack of representation that has always characterized the genre from its very birth. Drawing upon Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Left Hand of Darkness and Octavia E. Butler’s Parable of the Sower as female-authored novels representing white and black science fiction respectively, this thesis examines the recent contributions of women of African descent to the American literary landscape. In particular, I will explore the legacy of Butler’s work in Walidah Imarisha and Adrienne Maree Brown’s Octavia’s Brood: Science Fiction Stories from Social Justice Movements, a collection of twenty short stories and essays about social justice written by both writers and social activists. Furthermore, I will analyze two YA contemporary fantasy novels by African American authors that trouble mainstream conceptions of race, gender, and sexuality: The Gilded Ones was published in 2021 by 35-year-old Sierra-Leonean American writer Namina Forna and Pet was published in 2019 by 35-year-old Nigerian non-binary transgender author Akwaeke Emezi. Specifically, I will focus on the role of Deka and Jam, the black girl and transgender girl protagonists who act as the heroines in the novels, as well as on the African languages and traditions that the authors incorporate in their writing. Through my analysis, I will highlight the importance of including members of minority groups as the main characters of YA fantasy novels in order to make teenage readers see themselves as the heroes of their own stories, therefore opening up new possibilities for them in the real future.