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maggiebook's review against another edition
4.0
Sing Unburied Sing is a difficult book to say you enjoy as many of the subjects dealt with in the book are sad and horrific but there is also a large portion of the book that deals with love. The story pulls you in from the first chapter and introduces you to some of the most complex characters I have read in awhile.
The book is told from the perspective of three characters: Jojo, Leonie and Richie.
JoJo is a 12-13 year old boy who is being raised with his baby sister by his grandparents. JoJo's mom is a drug addict and even sober has little motherly instincts. His father is in prison, a drug user and like Leonie has little parental feelings.
Leonie, JoJo's mother, is probably the most complex of the characters. She seems to love her children but has no clue how to demonstrate that love. She is one character that I sympathized with but also angered me the most because she didn't even try to take care of her children's basic needs.
Richie is a ghost of a boy who was imprisoned very young in the 1950s. His story is tragic and heartbreaking therefore you feel a lot of anger and sadness for him.
Jesmyn Ward is great about getting the reader in the moment and setting. Her character development is beautiful and brutally honest as is her story telling.
Sing Unburied Sing is a book that needs and deserves several reads. I feel there is more in the book than I could get out of it from just one reading.
The book is told from the perspective of three characters: Jojo, Leonie and Richie.
JoJo is a 12-13 year old boy who is being raised with his baby sister by his grandparents. JoJo's mom is a drug addict and even sober has little motherly instincts. His father is in prison, a drug user and like Leonie has little parental feelings.
Leonie, JoJo's mother, is probably the most complex of the characters. She seems to love her children but has no clue how to demonstrate that love. She is one character that I sympathized with but also angered me the most because she didn't even try to take care of her children's basic needs.
Richie is a ghost of a boy who was imprisoned very young in the 1950s. His story is tragic and heartbreaking therefore you feel a lot of anger and sadness for him.
Jesmyn Ward is great about getting the reader in the moment and setting. Her character development is beautiful and brutally honest as is her story telling.
Sing Unburied Sing is a book that needs and deserves several reads. I feel there is more in the book than I could get out of it from just one reading.
llamalluv's review against another edition
5.0
Popsugar 2022: 10) An Anisfield-Wolf Book Award winner
tashaseegmiller's review against another edition
5.0
I’d seen several people talking about this book, so I had high hopes. They weren’t high enough. This is a powerful story of broken people and deep, difficult pasts, of people who are trying to heal but don’t know how. The emotional impact that Jesmyn Ward weaves throughout the story stunned me from the beginning and held tight throughout the novel. Brilliant, brilliant, storytelling.
trapwomanistcyborgwitch's review against another edition
5.0
Between 4 and 5. Leaning more toward 4.75 lol but rounding off to 5. Beautiful story. Maybe could have done without ghosts.
moonyhannah's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
lminique's review against another edition
4.0
This was a beautifully written book about a black family living in Mississippi and their struggles with poverty, racism, drug abuse, lack of parenting skills and dealing with the supernatural. The story alternates between Jo Jo and Leonie. Leonie, the mother of biracial children Jo Jo and Kayla, is a drug addict who has no parenting skills and sees her brothers dead ghost when she is doing drugs. Thirteen year Jo Jo seems to have taken on the role of caring for his little sister Kayla. Jo Jo and Kayla are both able to see ghosts as well. The end of the story was kind of confusing to me as it had so much going on with the ghost of the past that I had to reread it a couple of times, but overall it was a very good read and I will definitely be checking out more from Jesmyn Ward.
dianashadel's review against another edition
3.0
I understand the value of this perspective, but it was one of those books that to me felt like very little plot with a lot of stressful situations. I think it leaned too heavily on the stressful situations rather than developing the characters fully.