A review by jennifyr
The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers

challenging dark emotional funny informative reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This is a sweeping epic of a book (and long! at 30 hours). It switches between Ailey Garfield's timeline in the present, to a timeline of her parents and grandparents, to even earlier, when land was stolen from Creek and Cherokee to create plantations. 

There were a lot of tough scenes in this book relating to rape, child rape, drug use and abuse, overdosing, slavery, murder, racism, colorism, and more. 

I found the history and family tree very interesting, especially the interracial couplings (some consensual, some not). I thought the author did a great job weaving all the stories together while centering on a family drama. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings