Jesmyn Ward is becoming a household name in large part because of books like this one. While her previous books were novels, this one is a memoir and it really isn't for people that want a lighthearted beach read. This books deals not only with the stresses of living in poverty in the South but it also deals with suicide, overdoses, shootings and death in general.
Jesmyn Ward grew up on the Mississippi gulf coast, which figures prominently in this book. I really enjoyed how rich and evocative her storytelling style was. It could have gotten really morbid really quickly but instead it was almost lyrical in its matter of factness in its narrative of what it was like to grow up black, poor and female in the Deep South in the modern era. In addition to the seriousness of the deaths that occur, there are also some very familiar coming of age narratives: weed, alcohol, sex and boyfriends, school and family. But there are also some very sobering narratives as well that deal with destitution and delinquency. I found myself particularly drawn in by Ms. Ward's narrative about her own family and her family life. She details the demise of her parents' relationship, her own social isolation at a predominantly white private school and later when she leaves to attend a prestigious university and her brother's descent into the world of drug dealing.
While I don't think it was intended this way, Jesmyn Ward's memoir is a powerful narrative of the sociological, political and psychological impacts of growing up poor and black in the South. A definite must read.
Jesmyn Ward grew up on the Mississippi gulf coast, which figures prominently in this book. I really enjoyed how rich and evocative her storytelling style was. It could have gotten really morbid really quickly but instead it was almost lyrical in its matter of factness in its narrative of what it was like to grow up black, poor and female in the Deep South in the modern era. In addition to the seriousness of the deaths that occur, there are also some very familiar coming of age narratives: weed, alcohol, sex and boyfriends, school and family. But there are also some very sobering narratives as well that deal with destitution and delinquency. I found myself particularly drawn in by Ms. Ward's narrative about her own family and her family life. She details the demise of her parents' relationship, her own social isolation at a predominantly white private school and later when she leaves to attend a prestigious university and her brother's descent into the world of drug dealing.
While I don't think it was intended this way, Jesmyn Ward's memoir is a powerful narrative of the sociological, political and psychological impacts of growing up poor and black in the South. A definite must read.
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