Novels
- Youngblood (1954)
- And Then We Heard the Thunder (1962)
- ‘Sippi (1967)
- The Cotillion (1971)
- A Man Ain’t Nothin’ But a Man (1975)
- Great Black Russian (1989)
- The Minister Primarily (2021)
Anthologies edited
- Black Southern Voices (1999)
Non fiction
- Black Man’s Burden (1969)
- Great Gittin’ Up Morning (1972)
Novels Book Covers
Anthologies edited Book Covers
Non fiction Book Covers
John Oliver Killens Books Overview
Youngblood
A novel of social protest chronicling the lives of the Youngblood family and their friends in Crossroads, Georgia from the turn of the 20th century to the Great Depression.
The Cotillion
Beautiful, young Yoruba of Harlem has been invited to participate in a cotillion thrown annually by the African American high society of Queens. Caught between the indifference of her father, the excitement of her mother, and her prodigal boyfriend’s militancy, Yoruba persuades her sister debutantes to challenge the aging doyennes in one of the most sidesplitting scenes in American literature.
A Man Ain’t Nothin’ But a Man
Retells the life of the legendary steel driver of early railroad days who challenged the steam hammer to a steel driving contest.
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