2. The Intuitionist by Colson Whitehead
Colson Whitehead’s debut novel The Intuitionist explores the possibilities of economic and social mobility for Black Americans. The protagonist, Lila Mae Watson, is an elevator inspector and the first Black woman to ever hold the position. One day, she finds the written text of one of the first elevator inspectors who writes of a “perfect elevator — the Black Box,” which has the ability to “lift” Black society “from the cities we suffer now.” As Watson continues her investigation of the elevators and the Black Box, she gets more than she bargained for.
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