Whoa on the Ralph Ellison and Richard Wright not being part of the Renaissance thing, though. Didn't know that. They were always bunched together with a bunch of other Renaissance folks in lessons so....My old English teacher needs to get fired.
By the way, I know this isn't a Renaissance book either, but have you ever read The Spook Who Sat By the Door? The movie for it was very good, but the book is a BEAST.