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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
I read this for task #19 of the Read Harder 2021 reading challenge.
medium-paced
I just wanted to know more about Jane Pittman! What a woman! In so many ways her life story remind me of my grandmother. She was ahead of her time. The grief she experienced almost put me to tears. This is a woman who found joy and stood her ground in a world where being Black in America was at an all time high. Learning about her husband, Mr. Pittman, why she kept his name was beautiful and heartbreaking.
Listening to her thoughts on Hoodoo, nature, water, and just gems of life lessons. This book reminds me of Barracoon by Zora Neale Hurston. The difference is that in Barracoon the main character of as older than Jane.
I can wait to discuss this book in depth on my channel!
Listening to her thoughts on Hoodoo, nature, water, and just gems of life lessons. This book reminds me of Barracoon by Zora Neale Hurston. The difference is that in Barracoon the main character of as older than Jane.
I can wait to discuss this book in depth on my channel!
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I'm honestly surprised this book doesn't make more must-read lists by African-American authors. I've been focusing on reading more classic books written by women and people of color and this was on my radar for awhile. I was surprised to find that it wasn't available at my local library branch and had to be ordered through the community college.
Ernest J. Gaines paints an amazing portrait of a Black Woman born into slavery who lives through the start of the Civil Rights Movement. I found the relationship between the Black and White characters (who still own the plantations Black people work on into the 1950s) both realistic and troubling. It was especially troubling because I realized how little that topic is tackled in literature and the surprising (at least to me) realization that post-Reconstruction White people thought they treated Black people well. And for anyone who needs a reminder, slavery isn't exactly ancient history.
I'll be thinking about this one for awhile ... and probably recommending it, too.
Ernest J. Gaines paints an amazing portrait of a Black Woman born into slavery who lives through the start of the Civil Rights Movement. I found the relationship between the Black and White characters (who still own the plantations Black people work on into the 1950s) both realistic and troubling. It was especially troubling because I realized how little that topic is tackled in literature and the surprising (at least to me) realization that post-Reconstruction White people thought they treated Black people well. And for anyone who needs a reminder, slavery isn't exactly ancient history.
I'll be thinking about this one for awhile ... and probably recommending it, too.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Slavery, Suicide
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
Love it
I always loved the movie and now I can add to the film.
One issue I have - it just ended.
I was waiting for her to go take the drink from the fountain.
But other than that I loved it. Going home to watch the film now.
I always loved the movie and now I can add to the film.
One issue I have - it just ended.
I was waiting for her to go take the drink from the fountain.
But other than that I loved it. Going home to watch the film now.
Oh how I love this book!
A straightforward novel told by an unforgettable protagonist, the 110-year-old former slave Jane Pittman. Her story takes us through the perils of American history, from the period when slavery was ended all the way through the Civil Rights era. The most tender scenes here show her deep love for her friends, though she always talks about everyone in her life with candor and often with humor. The audiobook, narrated by the late Lynne Thigpen, brings the vernacular of Jane's voice to life; this novel shines through its dialog.
A straightforward novel told by an unforgettable protagonist, the 110-year-old former slave Jane Pittman. Her story takes us through the perils of American history, from the period when slavery was ended all the way through the Civil Rights era. The most tender scenes here show her deep love for her friends, though she always talks about everyone in her life with candor and often with humor. The audiobook, narrated by the late Lynne Thigpen, brings the vernacular of Jane's voice to life; this novel shines through its dialog.
I found A Lesson Before Dying to be a much more powerful and effective novel. Still, I'm glad I read this.
Miss Jane Pittman is being interviewed by the author in this book which I thought was a fun take, every once in a while you would be reminded of this as she would say “look at me” or “ya hear?” so it was really written in her voice. What an incredible story starting just before emancipation where the north and the “sesch” armies come through their plantation and all the way to the civil rights movements in the 60s. We see 10 year old Jane, an orphan slave girl, and the resiliency and stubbornness she gains carries her through the rest of her life. Good fast read.