Farah Jasmine Griffin, in her essay, “Thirty Years of Black American Literature and Literary Studies” (2007) claims that over the course of history African Americans have evolved and influenced American literature. Griffin supports her assertion that African American culture is evolving and “the last decade has witnessed a rise in Black book clubs”(Griffin). Her purpose is to make her audience aware that the culture of African Americans has influenced America and also slowly changed over time in order to depict the advancements in Black history. She institutes an official relationship with her audience of particularly black intellectuals who have “a thirst for the middlebrow images”(Griffin).
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Alex Haley uses his own family's background in his postmodern novel, Roots. "Roots is viewed as a mythic saga of African American history, portraying the ways in which enslaved Africans endured suffering and fought for their place in American society. It has earned a place among the popular classics of American literature and remains a profoundly influential and well-loved book." -Clarence Page