Zora Neale Hurston was an extraordinary woman and writer of the early 20th century. Her works were thought-provoking and radical for a black woman in the early 20th century. Her works evoked a sense of control for black women. Hurston's work has not gone without ridicule; some of the ridicule came from his African-American colleagues, such as Alain Locke and Richard Wright. These two ridiculed the novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, and its place in the literary canon. Over the years, many professionals have argued for the inclusion of Hurston and her novel Their Eyes Were Watching God. However, many people have debated which part of the canon it belongs in and which novel it can teach students. Genevieve West, Gay Wilentz, Carla Cappetti, and John Lowe make their cases for why Hurston is relevant to teaching students in Approaches to Teaching Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God and Other Works. There is also a theory as to why the novel should be taught. Genevieve West argued for the importance of teaching Hurston in the classroom in her essay “Teaching Their Eyes That Were Watching God and the Process of Canon Formation.” She discussed how she approached Hurston's work and allowed students to read reviews of Hurston's other works, such as Jonah's Gourd Vine and Mules and Men. The students discovered various aspects of Hurston's work. They found “Hurston's work to be opportunistic” (22), and students went on to further discover Hurston's work “exploiting Black culture for White readers” (23). Once students found out what others said about the author, West offered the opportunity to read reviews of Their Eyes, in which they discovered positive and negative reviews of the novel. ...... middle of the paper ...... look at God.” Hurston's Approaches to Teaching Their eyes looked upon God and other works. Ed.John Lowe. New York: The MLAs of America, 2009. 54-66. Press.West, Genevieve. “To teach their watching eyes about God and the process of canon formation.” Hurston's Approaches to Teaching Their eyes looked upon God and other works. Ed. Giovanni Lowe. New York: The MLAs of America, 2009. 20-26. Print.Wilentz, Gay. “False Gods and “Caucasian Characteristics for All”: Hurston's Radical Vision in Their Eyes Were Watching God.” Hurston's Approaches to Teaching Their eyes looked upon God and other works. Ed. Giovanni Lowe. New York: The MLAs of America, 2009. 27-36. Print.Wright, Richard. “Between laughter and tears”. Rev. of Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston. New Masses. October 5, 1937: 22+. Rpt. In Cronin 75-76. Rpt. Porte and Appia 16-17.