THE LOVE SONGS OF W.E.B. DUBOIS
“I want every one of you to meditate on the importance of the Negro woman. Without her struggles, who would our people be?”
This unforgettable and magnificent book is the coming of age story of Ailey Garfield, a young Black woman growing up in Georgia, and traverses Ailey’s ancestry on parallel tracks, from the women in her life back to the earliest slaves of the same land where she spends her summers. Through her, and their, stories, this novel heartbreakingly and beautifully explores the lifelong burdens, pain, joys and triumphs experienced by Black girls and women. With gut wrenching emotion and breathtaking tenderness, this book describes the wounds and bonds that remain for generations, through race, class, motherhood, grief, passion, betrayal and the deepest kinds of love.
The genius of this book is that despite its vast scope of themes and historical span, the story is told in so many tiny parts, each one exquisitely rendered. For a book with multiple storylines that tie together, Jeffers creates a wholly satisfying conclusion infused with hints of hope, and forward-looking questions to ponder. I confess I was at first daunted by the sheer size of the book - but the intimidating length is counterbalanced by the momentum of the story, which builds as it moves forward and carried me along like a wave. Some books are favorites, and some leave the reader changed forever. This is one of those rare books that is both, and it is 100% worth the nearly 800 pages to get there.
A Feast for Ailey: Southern cooking is an important motif throughout this story, and I wanted my food choices to do justice to this momentous book. I decided to make a special feast for Ailey featuring Belle’s banana pudding (extra spoon for Lydia ), Venie’s cornbread and peach preserves, Miss Rose’s sweet potato pie, and of course pecans from Uncle Root’s tree. All of these recipes are from @immaculatebites wonderful blog. While cooking I listened to @honoree_jeffers interview with @oprah for extra inspo - amazing!
