Abstract
In this study we examined nine novels from three time periods: the 1930s, the 1960s and the 1990s. We looked at two best-selling novels and one novel by an African American from each time period. We examined how African Americans were portrayed in these novels. From the content analysis of the novel, A Time to Kill, we developed eight themes with which to examine the other nine novels. Then we undertook a content analysis oj each oj the nine novels individually. Lastly, we looked at the interrelationships between the nine novels over the three time periods by breaking them down across our eight established themes. We also compared them based upon who authored the novels, the "mainstream" best-selling novels versus the African American novels.