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*Selected as One of the Best Books of the 21st Century by The New York Times *WINNER of the NATIONAL BOOK AWARD and A NEW YORK TIMES TOP 10 BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
A finalist for the Kirkus Prize, Andrew Carnegie Medal, Aspen Words Literary Prize, and a New York Times bestseller, this majestic, stirring, and widely praised novel from two-time National Book Award winner Jesmyn Ward, the story of a family on a journey through rural Mississippi, is a “tour de force” (Oprah Daily) and a timeless work of fiction that is destined to become a classic.
Jesmyn Ward’s historic second National Book Award–winner is “perfectly poised for the moment” (The New York Times), an intimate portrait of three generations of a family and an epic tale of hope and struggle. “Ward’s writing throbs with life, grief, and love… this book is the kind that makes you ache to return to it” (Buzzfeed).
Jojo is thirteen years old and trying to understand what it means to be a man. He doesn’t lack in fathers to study, chief among them his Black grandfather, Pop. But there are other men who complicate his understanding: his absent White father, Michael, who is being released from prison; his absent White grandfather, Big Joseph, who won’t acknowledge his existence; and the memories of his dead uncle, Given, who died as a teenager.
His mother, Leonie, is an inconsistent presence in his and his toddler sister’s lives. She is an imperfect mother in constant conflict with herself and those around her. She is Black and her children’s father is White. She wants to be a better mother but can’t put her children above her own needs, especially her drug use. Simultaneously tormented and comforted by visions of her dead brother, which only come to her when she’s high, Leonie is embattled in ways that reflect the brutal reality of her circumstances.
When the children’s father is released from prison, Leonie packs her kids and a friend into her car and drives north to the heart of Mississippi and Parchman Farm, the State Penitentiary. At Parchman, there is another thirteen-year-old boy, the ghost of a dead inmate who carries all of the ugly history of the South with him in his wandering. He too has something to teach Jojo about fathers and sons, about legacies, about violence, about love.
Rich with Ward’s distinctive, lyrical language, Sing, Unburied, Sing is a majestic and unforgettable family story and “an odyssey through rural Mississippi’s past and present” (The Philadelphia Inquirer).
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Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars 2,749
4.3 out of 5 stars 721
4.7 out of 5 stars 644
4.6 out of 5 stars 175
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More great works from National Book Award-winner Jesmyn Ward
A haunting masterpiece, sure to be an instant classic, about an enslaved girl in the years before the Civil War “A lyrical yet clear-eyed portrait of a rural South and an African American reality that are rarely depicted” (The Boston Globe) Groundbreaking essays and poems about race from some of the most important voices of this generation A revelatory, uplifting, and gorgeously illustrated meditation on dedication, hard work, and the power of perseverance
Publisher : Scribner
Publication date : May 8, 2018
Edition : Reprint
Language : English
Print length : 320 pages
ISBN-10 : 1501126075
ISBN-13 : 978-1501126079
Item Weight : 2.31 pounds
Dimensions : 5.25 x 0.5 x 8 inches
Book 2 of 3 : Bois Sauvage
Best Sellers Rank: #16,160 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #38 in Censorship & Politics #167 in Coming of Age Fiction (Books) #758 in Literary Fiction (Books)
Customer Reviews: 4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 14,306 ratings var dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction; P.when(‘A’, ‘ready’).execute(function(A) { if (dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction !== true) { dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction = true; A.declarative( ‘acrLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault”: true }, function (event) { if (window.ue) { ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } } ); } }); P.when(‘A’, ‘cf’).execute(function(A) { A.declarative(‘acrStarsLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault” : true }, function(event){ if(window.ue) { ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } }); });
Customers say
Customers praise the novel’s lyrical writing and rich human emotions, with one review highlighting how it moves through first-person alternating narratives. The book receives positive feedback for its character development through multiple points of view, and customers describe it as a gorgeous novel that provides a great look into Mississippi family life. While customers find it an engaging read, some note it’s a challenge to read, and the plot moves at an agonizingly slow pace. The book’s emotional impact is mixed, with customers describing it as heart-wrenching and making them feel every emotion possible, though some find it disturbing.
