The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois

By: Honorée Fanonne Jeffers

Narrated by: Adenrele Ojo, Karen Chilton, Prentice Onayemi

Length: 29 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

A TOP TEN NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
AN OPRAH BOOK CLUB PICK
A WASHINGTON POST BEST AUDIOBOOK OF 2021
A GLAMOUR BEST AUDIOBOOK OF 2021
AN AUDIOFILE BEST AUDIOBOOK OF 2021

Ailey Pearl Garfield grows up between the City in the north and summers spent in her mother’s small hometown of Chicasetta, Georgia. From an early age, she finds herself in a battle for belonging that’s made all the more difficult by a hurt in her past, as well as the whispers of women—her mother, Belle, her sister, Lydia, and a maternal line reaching back two centuries—that urge Ailey to succeed in their stead.

To come to terms with her identity, Ailey embarks on a journey through her family’s past, uncovering the shocking tales of generations of ancestors—Indigenous, Black, and white—in the deep South. In doing so Ailey must learn to embrace her full heritage, a legacy of oppression and resistance, bondage and independence, cruelty and resilience that is the story—and the song—of America itself.

LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR FICTION • SHORTLISTED FOR THE CENTER FOR FICTION FIRST NOVEL PRIZE • LONGLISTED FOR THE ASPEN LITERARY PRIZE

New York Times 10 Best Books of the Year • Time 10 Best Books of the Year • Washington Post 10 Best Books of the Year • People 10 Best Books of the Year • Booklist 10 Best First Novels of the Year

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2021 Honorée Fanonne Jeffers (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

‘A staggering and ambitious saga … Themes of family, class, higher education, feminism, and colorism yield many rich layers. Readers will be floored’ Publishers Weekly, starred review

‘If you read one book this year, choose this one … With the arrival of this epic novel of family, race, and ancestral legacy, one of America's finest poets has announced herself as a storyteller of the highest magnitude. Absolutely brilliant’ Dolen Perkins-Valdez, author of Wench and Balm

‘A family saga that is just as brilliant as it is necessary, just as intimate as it is expansive. An outstanding portrait of an American family and in turn, an outstanding portrait of America’ Angie Thomas, author of The Hate U Give

One of the greatest books I’ve ever read

Every word in this novel was empathetically, poetically and masterfully written, whether joyful, horrific, or heartbreaking. The unflinching commitment to bringing the archives to life of Jeffers was brave and clear. Her artistry and craft with words to breathe this life is nothing short of extraordinary. Despite its length, I did not want this novel to end and know I will return to her beautiful, human and nuanced characters time and time again. Everyone on the planet should read this book- it’s not only important, it’s a masterpiece.