What Scots are Reading: Sing, Unburied, Sing

We ask fellow Scots to tell us about a recent book they enjoyed and the result is this series "What Scots are Reading."  If you would like to contribute a book review, drop a note to: reference@monmouthcollege.edu.

Review of Jesmyn Ward’s Sing, Unburied, Sing

by Anne Giffey, Public Services Librarian

I had not read Jesmyn Ward’s work prior to this novel and frankly, I chose this book because of the renown it earned - a 2017 National Book Award and a finalist for almost every other major award.

Spoiler: it lived up to its accolades and I give it five tartan stars.

A story of three generations of a Mississippi family, the themes of racism, poverty, and trauma remain a constant thread, manifesting in each generation in uniquely tragic ways. Grandfather "Pop" holds his young teenaged grandson, JoJo, captivated by recollections of his time in prison where conditions were not far removed from the horrors of slavery.  Pop's daughter and JoJo's mother, Leonie, is haunted by a lost brother and an addiction she can't shake. JoJo, a smart and sensitive boy, mediates between the generations, intent on protecting himself and his baby sister.

The supernatural elements of this novel sneak up on you; a ghost emerges from

pop's tale, and although not as destructive as in Morrison’s Beloved, its presence represents the persistent haunting of cultural trauma.

Touching moments of sibling tenderness and fierce protective love between Jojo and his young sister are some of the most visceral moments of the novel. It was a book I had to put down often, but kept returning to. 

For future reads, I definitely have Ward’s acclaimed novel, Salvage the Bones, her edited collection, The Fire This Time: A New Generation Speaks About Race, and her memoir, Men We Reaped, in my sights. 

Sing, Unburied, Sing is available for checkout from Hewes Library: PS3623.A7323 S56 2017