Sing, Unburied, Sing

A Novel

De: Jesmyn Ward

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

*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” (O, The Oprah Magazine) 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).

Very somber read

Jesmyn crafts a beautifully poetic story that puts you directly in her characters world. Although the only characters I was drawn to were Ma, and Pa. the story was intricate and was layered with complex issues which affected all the characters differently. I did find some parts of the story boring with really no forward momentum and I don't if that was because certain dialogue or certain events that unfolded. The biggest thing for me was the lack of growth/depth from Jojo. At no point in the story does it feel like he learns or discovers anything tangible; I just feel like he was uninteresting as a main. Overall the story was good.

Sing unburied sing

A beautiful, hard book. Poetry wrapped in shards of glass Maybe the best book I’ve read in years.

Written with empathy

Written with empathy about the bloody past of the American South, poor African Americans in the 1940s and about racial tensions in Mississippi that still resonate all over the country even now. You can feel it, the identification with rural farmers in the deep South, their legacy and their courage at times to overcome some of it. And even in modern times when African Americans can get arrested simply for being on the road and driving or swerving too fast. Innocence and childhood lost as a result of this experience.

Absolutely a winner.

The book was captivating and brilliant at the same time. It definitely will not be my last audible. Can't wait to see what else this author has written

Very good performances

The performances here were remarkable, especially that of Rutina Wesley, but also from the male performers. I missed to hear more from the unburied, to be honest, so I enjoyed the performance more than the story, but to grasp all the details, I would need to read it too.

ok book

ok book not a gotta get back to it but ok would listen again sometime

Deeply moving

The prose her is lush and rich, deeply satisfying. Simply beautifully written, full of mystery and fascination. The narration is pitch perfect, and I’m sure this is one book better heard than read. I highly recommend to those who read to be in someone else’s skin.

unrelenting

Tears your heart right out of your chest and puts it back in only to tear it out again. This book is not any kind of escape from reality--this book is a confrontation OF reality. But of course, like the book will tell you, to heal any wound, the only direction you can move is through it. Read if you are looking to break the cycle. Read if you are looking to learn how to feel into even the difficult feelings. Narrators are excellent and give each character (especially Mam/mama) an impact landing.

Evokes Toni Morrison

Very intriguing account illuminating key issues of African-American life -- through a range of vital characters. Recalls the fiction voice and themes of Toni Morrison while dealing with issues of the early 21st Century reflecting historical complexities through the strangeness of ordinary life.

LOVELY!

Beautifully written poetic prose! A new favorite and inspiration for me as an emerging writer.