Sing, Unburied, Sing

A Novel

De: Jesmyn Ward

Narrado por: Kelvin Harrison Jr., Chris Chalk, Rutina Wesley

WINNER of the NATIONAL BOOK AWARD for FICTION
Finalist for the Kirkus Prize
Finalist for the Andrew Carnegie Medal
Publishers Weekly Top 10 of 2017

"The heart of Jesmyn Ward's Sing, Unburied, Sing is story - the yearning for a narrative to help us understand ourselves, the pain of the gaps we'll never fill, the truths that are failed by words and must be translated through ritual and song...Ward's writing throbs with life, grief, and love, and this book is the kind that makes you ache to return to it." (Buzzfeed)

In Jesmyn Ward's first novel since her National Book Award-winning Salvage the Bones, this singular American writer brings the archetypal road novel into rural 21st-century America. An intimate portrait of a family and an epic tale of hope and struggle, Sing, Unburied, Sing journeys through Mississippi's past and present, examining the ugly truths at the heart of the American story and the power - and limitations - of family bonds.

Jojo is 13 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 13-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 new work and an unforgettable family story.

A 2018 RUSA “Listen-Alike” for LINCOLN IN THE BARDO

©2017 Jesmyn Ward (P)2017 Simon & Schuster Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

"There is a truth and grittiness here that narrators Kelvin Harrison, Rutina Wesley, and Chris Chalk enhance significantly with their powerful talents.... All in all, this excellent novel makes for exceptional listening." (AudioFile)

Mixed Emotions

Rutina's narration was overly performed and distracting. The narrator for JoJo did an exceptional job! He should have narrated the entire book. I enjoyed the story of the living characters of the book, the ghosts - not so much. The story was short and the ending was underwhelming. These shortcomings tainted what could have been a great novel.

Plotless poetry

It’s a beautiful book, and I respect the depth of it, and the power of the pain it resonates. But. I buy fiction to be entertained. This had no plot. I guess I was hoping for something different.

Error reading audio File at Chapter 11

Any additional comments?

I am trying to figure out how to hear the last 2 hours of his book.

My expectations were high...

Disappointed to say I found it a struggle to listen/attend well to the story. The highlights for me include ...yes, the story, too, but most of all Jesmyn Ward's writing style - it is poetic, mysterious, excellent - and, sometimes referencing events that were painfully real, but sounded abstract.

Perhaps I'll try another of her books to compare/contrast. This was PBS's Book of the Month (February 2018), and Jesmyn's story itself, her community and all its surrounding characters drew me to her. I did enjoy the metaphysical themes, traditions passed down (but getting lost) for plant-based remedies and treatments.

I simply felt that it was written in a time when we are discovering elemental knowledge about lives lived in poverty/how it begets itself;. Also, lack of finally tuned education that is relevant to black lives, rabid and entrenched racism, the impact and availability of drugs, as they play into the lack of hope and seeming perpetutity of the situation..

Powerful Voices

Would you consider the audio edition of Sing, Unburied, Sing to be better than the print version?

I believe the audio must be better, as the voices fill out the characters in ways that my white ears never could.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Sing, Unburied, Sing?

Listening to the animals. What the animals, especially the rabbits, have to say is spot on!

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Character, depth, personality.

Any additional comments?

Totally worth listening to, powerful book!

beautiful

Ward's Sing Unburied Sing is Believed reincarnated! so many layers to this beautifully written and beautifully read piece!!

Devastating!

Such a powerful evocation of both the present and past impact of racism in the Deep South.
The ghosts are like the characters from Lincoln in the Bardo, creatures with an unsettled death.
Boy! Parchman must have been hell on earth!

The world has been waiting a long time for this book.

Incredible novel. Beautifully written. One of, if not the, most powerful book I’ve ever read. A must read.

Amazing, gorgeous, moving

This was one of the most lyrical, exquisitely written books I’ve come across in years.

My one complaint was a minor quibble with the narrators. They did a beautiful job of capturing their main African American characters. However, when they read the dialogue of the white characters they still sounded very black. It was somewhat distracting. Also, the narrator who read Richard had a beautiful deep voice even though he was supposed to be the ghost of a malnourished 12 year old boy.

Incredible story; outstanding narrators

If you could sum up Sing, Unburied, Sing in three words, what would they be?

Powerful, magical, beautiful

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The narrators are absolutely incredible. They bring the story to life in a way that I've never experienced in an audio book before.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes!

Any additional comments?

This is my first Audible review. I've listened to amazing books before but this one is by far the best. Ward's novel is incredible and the the performers are incredible. Get it!