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Sue's Reviews > The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois
The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois
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Sue's review
bookshelves: african-american, historical-fiction, kindle, my-own-books, david-bowie-book-club, family-history, read-2022
Apr 09, 2022
bookshelves: african-american, historical-fiction, kindle, my-own-books, david-bowie-book-club, family-history, read-2022
The Love Songs of W.E.B. DuBois is unlike any book I have ever read. An historical fiction following the establishment of a family from the time before there were white settlers in what has become the state of Georgia, through the landing of the first European settlers, the arrival of the first slaves, and the many torturous interminglings of these groups over the following centuries. The vehicle for unearthing the saga is Ailey Garfield who we meet as a young child, but who grows to chronicle the lives of her forbears.
The novel has an unusual structure, with each section begun with a “Song.” These Songs are myth-like presentations of the far past, stories of the old people, the forefathers and mothers. Initially they can be confusing but they gain so much power as the novel proceeds. Then, after select quotations from the works of DuBois, the story of the contemporary, multi-generation family is told. If there is a weakness to the totality of this experience, it may be that this section is too expansive. But as I finished reading the book, I could forgive any excess. The final section, from the final Song to the end, was beautifully done.
A book of more than 800 pages can be a hard sell for some, but I do recommend this and suggest you read it slowly as I did, perhaps with friends, as I also did, discussing sections as we read.
The novel has an unusual structure, with each section begun with a “Song.” These Songs are myth-like presentations of the far past, stories of the old people, the forefathers and mothers. Initially they can be confusing but they gain so much power as the novel proceeds. Then, after select quotations from the works of DuBois, the story of the contemporary, multi-generation family is told. If there is a weakness to the totality of this experience, it may be that this section is too expansive. But as I finished reading the book, I could forgive any excess. The final section, from the final Song to the end, was beautifully done.
A book of more than 800 pages can be a hard sell for some, but I do recommend this and suggest you read it slowly as I did, perhaps with friends, as I also did, discussing sections as we read.
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Reading Progress
September 29, 2021
– Shelved
September 29, 2021
– Shelved as:
to-read
December 22, 2021
–
Started Reading
December 22, 2021
– Shelved as:
african-american
December 22, 2021
– Shelved as:
historical-fiction
December 22, 2021
– Shelved as:
kindle
December 22, 2021
– Shelved as:
my-own-books
December 22, 2021
– Shelved as:
david-bowie-book-club
January 7, 2022
–
2.37%
"“The Treaty of New York in 1790..the realization that our land would be fertile for short-staple cotton, and after this, there came an invention by a man named Eli Whitney… Or did a slave invent the gin, as some have said.. Whoever its inventor, before the gin, one daily pound of cotton. After, fifty pounds, more slaves, very few deer, many cattle and pigs, and running talk of planting..”"
page
19
January 8, 2022
–
15.98%
"We know of those taken from the place called Africa.. We know dates. We know hours. We know disbelief. We know mourning. We know about the years even before 1619..the years that would come after. We know about those Africans who arrived in a place that the English called Jamestown, Virginia. We know which villages these Africans lived in before they were stolen….we try not to weep over what was lost to these folks."
page
128
March 5, 2022
–
71.04%
"SONG: The Growth of a Family
Even in a place of sorrow, time passes. Even in a place of joy. Do not assume that either keeps life from continuing, for there are children everywhere. And children are life, for they keep their mothers’ beauty. Sometimes, even when their mothers are lost to death or distance, these women urge their young toward survival."
page
569
Even in a place of sorrow, time passes. Even in a place of joy. Do not assume that either keeps life from continuing, for there are children everywhere. And children are life, for they keep their mothers’ beauty. Sometimes, even when their mothers are lost to death or distance, these women urge their young toward survival."
April 8, 2022
–
82.15%
"there was a catch when you did research on slavery; you couldn’t only focus on the parts you wanted. You had to wade through everything, in order to get to the documents you needed. You had to look at the slave auctions..whippings..casual cruelty that indicated..white men who’d owned Black folks didn’t consider them human beings. When I began..research in the Pinchard family papers..these were my own ancestors"
page
658
April 8, 2022
–
86.27%
"This is the tragedy of slavery. These are the grains of power. There isn’t true innocence for children whose parents are shackled."
page
691
April 8, 2022
– Shelved as:
family-history
April 9, 2022
–
Finished Reading
April 29, 2022
– Shelved as:
read-2022
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Diane
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Apr 09, 2022 03:51PM
It's been on my list, but you just reinforced it.
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I think it’s well worth it, Diane. My friends and I have our final virtual discussion tomorrow. I think you will be glad you read it. I have the kindle copy, a gift to my arms and hands.
Terrific review - agree that this would be a great book to read in sections and discuss.
Thanks Lisa. My mini-group met this afternoon for our last meeting. It probably could have been read over a shorter schedule than we used because some parts read fairly quickly. But there is definitely material to discuss.
Outstanding review, Sue, of what sounds like a fascinating book.
Thanks Howard. It’s really quite an interesting tour de force. An unusual look at a family’s history and reflecting a region and a nation.
You make this sound marvelous, Sue, and it is probably a book I would have resisted adding before reading your review. Of course, no resisting it now.
Fine review. Sue! This period of history does offer many interesting facets.
Love your review, Sue, but 800 pages is quite a commitment.
Sara, it is a commitment, but it has a good payoff. Enjoy if you decide to read it.
Thanks. Yes it is long, Marialyce. I liked the way I read it, in sections, though I could have read it in less time than I did. I’ve learned that I do best reading long books over time. But if 800 pages is just too much, there are certainly many other books that are shorter and also very good.
Thanks Barbara. Our history is far more complex than most of us were taught when we were in school. The new books I have read, fiction and nonfiction, are fascinating.
I’m going to start reading it tomorrow. Your review is encouraging
I hope you enjoy it Yousef. It is long. Perhaps take some breaks along the way if you feel the need.
