jessaurand's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
This book was very informational, and written in such a lovely story format. The humanization of slavery and racism is necessary for us to move forward as a society, and this book helps all to understand the impact these horrible environments have on humanity. It was a little long, by 80% through I was ready to be finished
karaklos's review
4.0
Egad, I didn’t think I would ever finish this one.
The Warmth of Other Suns is the fascinating story of black Americans who migrated from the south to the north to escape Jim Crow laws and build new lives for themselves. I can’t imagine how much research and time Wilkerson did to tell this story.
Wilkerson selected three individuals to profile. Each person migrated from different southern cities and settled in different northern cities, across three different decades.
I learned so much from this book and while many of the stories were difficult to read due to the cruelty and inhumanity of people at the time, I’m glad I read it.
While I found it to be a worthwhile read, it was a slog. It was very repetitive and some of the details were unnecessary to the overall story. The flow of the book was meandering and uneven. I grew very weary at about 400 pages. I also felt like some of the conclusions Wilkerson came to were not based on any research. This was not a book I was eager to pick up.
The Warmth of Other Suns is the fascinating story of black Americans who migrated from the south to the north to escape Jim Crow laws and build new lives for themselves. I can’t imagine how much research and time Wilkerson did to tell this story.
Wilkerson selected three individuals to profile. Each person migrated from different southern cities and settled in different northern cities, across three different decades.
I learned so much from this book and while many of the stories were difficult to read due to the cruelty and inhumanity of people at the time, I’m glad I read it.
While I found it to be a worthwhile read, it was a slog. It was very repetitive and some of the details were unnecessary to the overall story. The flow of the book was meandering and uneven. I grew very weary at about 400 pages. I also felt like some of the conclusions Wilkerson came to were not based on any research. This was not a book I was eager to pick up.
danicapage's review
5.0
This has been on my list for a very long time. I am so glad I finally got to it. It was everything I hoped it would be and more. I read Solito right before this one, and reading these two so close together was deeply meaningful and enriched my experience with both books.
Wilkerson does a great job of personalizing history and putting a face to sweeping historical moments (movements) while also keeping the academic rigor and sharing other stories to anchor you into the moment.
I enjoyed how she approached this one and this topic. Great writing by a great author on a very important topic. It's written in an approachable narrative nonfiction pattern. This topic hasn't been handled with the depth and humanity it deserved, and I'm glad Wilkerson changed that by writing this one.
The book focuses on the migration story of three people (from varied backgrounds and circumstances) who left for different reasons and went to different areas of the country and follows their story across time. They can't represent every story there was as part of this moment at time, nor does she try. Definitely recommend this one.
Wilkerson does a great job of personalizing history and putting a face to sweeping historical moments (movements) while also keeping the academic rigor and sharing other stories to anchor you into the moment.
I enjoyed how she approached this one and this topic. Great writing by a great author on a very important topic. It's written in an approachable narrative nonfiction pattern. This topic hasn't been handled with the depth and humanity it deserved, and I'm glad Wilkerson changed that by writing this one.
The book focuses on the migration story of three people (from varied backgrounds and circumstances) who left for different reasons and went to different areas of the country and follows their story across time. They can't represent every story there was as part of this moment at time, nor does she try. Definitely recommend this one.
jwelchans's review
5.0
What a book! Put it on the shelf for a second, but was so glad to pick it back up with all the current tension. Inspiring story of 3 people forced by Jim Crow to go north in search of better lives. Gut wrenchingly sad and lighthearted at the same time. I’ll never look at our country the same way again.
booklistqueen's review
challenging
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
From the First World War to the 1970s, a mass exodus ensued of Blacks leaving the South and settling in northern and western cities. Wilkerson's book highlights three stories from The Great Migration: Ida Mae Gladney who left sharecropping in 1937 for a blue-collar life in Chicago; George Starling, who left orange-picking in Florida in 1945 for Harlem; and Robert Foster, who moved from Louisiana in 1953 to become a personal physician in Los Angeles.
Isabel Wilkerson's history of the Great Migration is simply outstanding. Impeccably written, The Warmth of Other Suns brilliantly uses the three narratives to pull you into history while Wilkerson gives you a fuller understanding of the broader context. With great insights into the complex and complicated history of race in America in the 19th century, The Warmth of Other Suns shines a light on many of our current race issues today.