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andymanion2's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.25
nuhafariha's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
5.0
Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for the Advanced Reader's Copy!
Now available!
Truly there is no word for to describe the beautiful, painful, and haunting way Tracy K Smith excavates her family's history, starting in the Antebellum South to the current day. In lyrical and prosaic style, each chapter builds upon the last until we return with Smith to her native land in Alabama. In this book, the personal is political and Smith spares no detail in the precise way she maps the brutal history of slavery and racism on her own family tree. Yet, there are moments of levity, of joy - particularly in the chapters where Smith describes her own experience of motherhood. I could sense Smith's struggle in writing such a deeply personal work and felt vulnerable alongside her. An absolutely stellar, urgent read!
Now available!
Truly there is no word for to describe the beautiful, painful, and haunting way Tracy K Smith excavates her family's history, starting in the Antebellum South to the current day. In lyrical and prosaic style, each chapter builds upon the last until we return with Smith to her native land in Alabama. In this book, the personal is political and Smith spares no detail in the precise way she maps the brutal history of slavery and racism on her own family tree. Yet, there are moments of levity, of joy - particularly in the chapters where Smith describes her own experience of motherhood. I could sense Smith's struggle in writing such a deeply personal work and felt vulnerable alongside her. An absolutely stellar, urgent read!
checkplease's review
3.0
3.5 Stars
Among the books I’ve read in the social justice domain, I found myself connecting less readily to this one. It is a collection of essays loosely organized around the dichotomy of the Free and the Freed. Some lean more in the direction of historical reflections while others are more memoiristic, but all are connected to Smith’s family and experiences.
I was most engaged by the latter half of the book, especially the chapter “Scenes from a Marriage” and the one to follow, “Sobriety.” The writing in both is more urgent, filled with vulnerable self-examination and the kinds of metaphors poets provide that cause you to sit up and take notice. These two pieces are the best fulfillment of the subtitle of the book: ‘A Plea for the American Soul.” The other chapters didn’t spark the same frisson for me.
Among the books I’ve read in the social justice domain, I found myself connecting less readily to this one. It is a collection of essays loosely organized around the dichotomy of the Free and the Freed. Some lean more in the direction of historical reflections while others are more memoiristic, but all are connected to Smith’s family and experiences.
I was most engaged by the latter half of the book, especially the chapter “Scenes from a Marriage” and the one to follow, “Sobriety.” The writing in both is more urgent, filled with vulnerable self-examination and the kinds of metaphors poets provide that cause you to sit up and take notice. These two pieces are the best fulfillment of the subtitle of the book: ‘A Plea for the American Soul.” The other chapters didn’t spark the same frisson for me.
fkshg8465's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.5
Lots of sorrow, lots of introspection, lots of disappointment and fear, and yet, where is the rage I feel in me? Feels more like resignation than anything, and that odd the saddest part of it all - just like the woman she references who was attacked in her home.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Grief, Addiction, Colonisation, Slavery, War, Hate crime, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, Physical abuse, Torture, Cancer, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Cultural appropriation, Death, Death of parent, Police brutality, Racism, Rape, Religious bigotry, and Violence
corvingreene's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
5.0
This was a beautifully written book that's part poetry, part essay/memoir, by the brilliant Tracy K. Smith. It is a very heavy read, tackling the legacy of racism and white supremacy in the US, and detailing her family history in the country, among other things, and I took a long time to read it, but I also wanted to savor the lyricism of her writing. I listened to this on audio, and it was a great audio book, but I would have liked to see the poems on the page, too.
ashlightgrayson's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
3.0
I appreciated the poeticism of the prose in Smith's narrative. However, the timeline of events is difficult to follow because it is so vague. There is some chronology to the stages of her life she explores, particularly pertaining to her marriages and romantic relationships. Other than that, she often goes off on tangents pertinent to the United States' relationship to race. She sprinkles in anecdotes about her family. Her father was a very important figure in her life. Her love and admiration for her father, especially in relation to how far race relations have come since his upbringing, are palpable in the text. I appreciated these anecdotes the most. I'm a history buff, and reading about how history affects people directly through their families is always interesting to me. As a mixed Afro Latinx individual myself, I can also relate to those parts of the narrative. Smith ties her own story into the overall narrative of the black experience within the United States. It makes her story more personal. I just would have wanted the narrative to be a bit more cohesive and tighter knit. It reads more like a long poem written in prose rather than a memoir. However, I think that this is also a matter of preference. As a disclaimer, I listened to the audiobook, so maybe this something that would have read better if I had physically read the book. Overall, it is an interesting read, though, and I would recommend it as an experimental read
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism