Beloved and Their Eyes Were Watching God are pivotal pieces of African American literature that describe or relate to the experiences of African American culture in one way or another. Toni Morrison and Zora Neale Hurston helped pave the way for future generations. However, there are a multitude of other authors who made it possible for Beloved and Their Eyes Were Watching God. As early as 1853, Solomon Northup let readers experience his worst nightmares in his memoir, 12 Years a Slave. The memoir described Northup's first hand account of the slave market, sugar and cotton plantations and slavery overall during this time period. Readers were able to understand the struggles many African Americans faced when they were separated from their
