Baker, Houston A., Jr. Blues, Ideology, and Afro-American Literature: A Vernacular Theory. Chicago: U of Chicago P, 1984.
This is a classic in the field of African American literary studies which keeps popping up in my reading, so I figured it was time to finally break down and read it.
Bought from Better World Books via amazon.com.
Duvall, John N., ed. The Cambridge Companion to American Fiction After 1945. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2012.
This is another book that I ordered at Rocky Mountain MLA last month. I have enjoyed other volumes in the Cambridge Companion series, and American literature after 1945 is my academic specialty, thus I did not need any extra persuasion when I had the opportunity to buy the book at a discount. I am especially excited to read the “Fiction and 9/11” chapter, though the entire collection looks enjoyable.
Daniel Shank Cruz 