so-soA good intro to the Great Migration, where for the better part of the 20th century, thousands of African-Americans left the South, seeking better opportunity in the great industrial cities north of the Mason-Dixon Line. It was brilliant of Wilkerson to veer from reliance on historical documents only and instead structure this nonfiction narrative around three interviewed persons who retell their own personal exoduses North.
Of the ones I‘ve read I only feel like The Warmth of Other Suns belongs on the list.
#unpopularopinion #100bestbooksofthe21stcentury
pickThrough interviews with over 1200 people over 15 years, Isabel Wilkerson tells the story of The Great Migration. Focusing on three very different individuals, she shares the different reasons for leaving the Jim Crow South, the struggles of their journeys, and their experiences in their new homes. Interspersed were the events of the Civil Rights movement. Very enlightening and informative. I truly appreciate Wilkerson's style and approach.
bailedDNF
Really disappointed to not be finishing this book but its epic scope & length is just not something my brain is taking in right now.
I can tell it‘s very well researched & written, and Robin Miles is an excellent narrator, so it‘s not the book, it‘s me.
“The night clouds were closing in on the salt licks east of the oxbow lakes along the folds in the earth beyond the Yalobusha River.”
#FirstLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl
pick“Most of them care nothing whatever about race. They want only their proper place in the sun and the right to be left alone, like any other citizen of the republic.” -James Baldwin
I read this for #sharonsayso‘s book club and loved it. It‘s a well researched history of the Great Migration (1915-1970), when Black people escaped the injustice, degradation, and racism of the Jim Crow south by going north and west. Often to be faced with more ⬇️
pickThere were a few times I found the time jumps confusing - I wasn't sure where I was or who I was with - but aside from that, this was a great family saga read with excellent narration from Bahni Turpin.
Finished in September but I read it for a big chunk of August so I‘m counting it here!
✅ Black history
✅ biography
✅ US history
pickI finished this epic history/biography about the Great Migration, the period of time between 1910-1970 when Black people escaped the south to get away from Jim Crow laws only to be welcomed in the north & west with more racism.
I love how the author chose 3 delightful people who migrated & fully shared their stories while tying it into a broader scope of American history. I‘m grieving not being able to read about them anymore.
#SummerEndReadathon
August round-up of completed reads: I inadvertently made it a month of women authors...love that! The tagged book was my personal pick.
