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 womenher mother, Belle, her sister, Lydia, and a maternal line reaching back two centuriesthat 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 ancestorsIndigenous, Black, and whitein 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 storyand the songof America itself.
'Mesmerising magnificent' Independent
'Astonishing A great work infused with love and honesty' Alice Walker, author of The Color Purple
'Gripping, gorgeous. A sweeping family saga that is also history at its most intimate and vital' Stef Penney, author of The Tenderness of Wolves
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
The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers is a compelling saga that delves into the African American experience, offering a poignant exploration of identity and heritage. It's a coming-of-life tale that resonates with the echoes of the past, shaping the present and future.
For fans of Barbara Kingsolver (Demon Copperhead), Maggie O'Farrell (Hamnet), Abraham Verghese (The Covenant of Water), Hernan Diaz (Trust), and Paul Lynch (Prophet Song).