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canascorner's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Homophobia, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Abortion, Suicide, Death of parent, Bullying, Grief, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, and Racism
hamstringy's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book made me cry a little bit! Black writes a book that is compulsively readable for all its main character is precisely the type of person I would not want to meet in real life. He has a knack for fleshing out difficult characters and the relationships they form.
I do agree with some reviews I read that his growth at times can feel a little too straightforward, but I also don’t think it really pulled me out of the story.
I do agree with some reviews I read that his growth at times can feel a little too straightforward, but I also don’t think it really pulled me out of the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Sexism, Sexual violence, Homophobia, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Domestic abuse, Suicide, Violence, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual harassment, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Bullying, Terminal illness, and Misogyny
briana7's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Homophobia
Moderate: Cancer, Hate crime, Terminal illness, Bullying, Death of parent, and Emotional abuse
jedore's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
“Knowledge is a funny thing, Isaac. It informs by exposing. It shows you precisely how much you don’t know.”
I was pulled into this story from the Author’s note at the very beginning. Like the author, my father passed without ever admitting, let alone apologizing, for his major emotional shortcomings. Writing this book was a way for Daniel Black to heal the gaping wounds this leaves behind.
I don’t like to compare the pain of two different people. Pain is pain and no one deserves to have their pain diminished. But, I have to say what Isaac, the gay son who is the recipient of his father’s deathbed letters, went through is FAR worse than what I went through.
On top of a typical dysfunctional family, he has the added horrors of the impact of slavery and being black in the U.S., being gay in a subculture that considers it an abhorrence, and the lack of love, tenderness and communication when it was needed most. I honestly don’t know if I would be able to climb out of a hole that deep.
Reading the imagined letters that the reformed father wrote to Isaac was definitely a soothing salve. Many of the things he conveyed explained some of the characteristics and behaviors of my own father (and other men I know and love), so it was helpful for me personally as well.
That being said, I still find it difficult to excuse my middle class white father for his emotional neglect. A black man of the same generation is a whole other story.
I highly recommend this book to anyone with daddy issues stemming from a hyper-stern and inexpressive father born in the early to mid-1900s, as well as anyone walking the path toward anti-racism. It’s a very quick, deeply emotional, and insightful read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Cancer, Grief, Slavery, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Classism, Death, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, and Sexism
Moderate: Alcoholism
Minor: Bullying and Domestic abuse
gigisxm's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
5.0
Exactly 10 years ago i submitted another Daniel Black book to my book club. We read Perfect peace and I hated it, i toor it appart in my review (swipe)
Yet i didn’t hesitate to submit his most recent work of fiction Don’t cry for me for our bookclub pick for May. 10 years had elapsed and i went into it with an open mind and loved the deeply moving, beautifully written masterpiece by Dr Black. 5 stars are not enough for this historical novel. I have an aversion to Historical novels as a whole, but this is how you do it! The imagery was stunning. Can Ava Duvernay option this one for the big screen? The characters are layered and engaging and flawed and authentically human. I had deep empathy for every character. The premise is sad but deep layers of pain are so masterfully written that you are transported into this world. And find grace for each character where they are.
The themes are plentiful in this one. Here are just a few that stood out to me (there are many many more) Home, Self, Vulnerability,Intimacy, Ancestry, Ancestors and communicating with them, Land, Growth, Abuse, Reading/books, Abuse, Magical realism, Death, Redemption, Gender roles, relationships, abandonment, abuse, going back to your roots, rebirth, truth…… Oh and lest not forget the biblical reference, that another layer in itself.
It’s been a long time since I’ve been compelled to look up the authors interviews after I’ve completed a book. With this one I ran over to YouTube immediately after reading the last line. This novel is begging for a sequel and the author has confirmed that Issac’s Song has already been written. So now we wait. All members enjoyed the book and look forward to reading the sequel. So Dr Black will be a three-peat author in our club. We had a great discussion. It reminded me of the early days of the club. I don’t re-read books but I feel compelled to read this one again.
#bookreview #dontcryformebook #islandgirlreads #sxmbibliophile
22/60 #goodreadsreadingchallenge
5/12 #bookclub
9/20 #booksbyblackfolx
5/12 #bookclub
9/20 #booksbyblackfolx
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Hate crime
Moderate: Death, Bullying, Cancer, Abortion, Child death, Religious bigotry, and Terminal illness
hayleyvharrington's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Murder, Biphobia, Domestic abuse, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, and Violence
Moderate: Abandonment, Alcoholism, and Chronic illness
Minor: Alcohol
stephanieswilley's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Bullying, Cancer, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Murder, Pregnancy, and Terminal illness
cc_shelflove's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Receiving something like this from your dead parent would honestly be a gift. Told in letters written to his son, Jacob asks Isaac for amends after he failed as a father and ostracized his son for being gay. The letters read like a memoir, so I often forgot I was reading a piece of fiction. Don’t Cry for Me was very educational in that it explored both generational and racial differences. There are so many stories about the past that we forget to ask our loved ones while they are alive. Once they are gone, the questions seem to flow more freely. I wasn’t on the edge of my seat, and I think the book would have been better if it included Isaac’s reactions to the letters. Overall, a strongly worded novel.
If you liked this book, check out Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Terminal illness, Sexual violence, Homophobia, Death of parent, Child abuse, Cancer, Domestic abuse, and Racism
Moderate: Child death and Alcoholism
Minor: Blood, Slavery, and Suicide
ethan_bridgesgarcia's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
“Live your life freely, Isaac. Rise above our history and be your unapologetic self.”
What a roller coaster of emotions! This book has all the feels. I don’t know how many time I had to put this book down because of the sole fact that I related so much with the son and how he was treated by his father. The amount of hardships and struggles Jacob went through not just as a man but as a Black man struggling in a world that was already made hard for him by history but to have a gay son as well.
Many of the words Jacob said to Isaac my own father/mother has said to me. I don’t know if it’s a Southern thing but the fact that many of the gay men, or supposed gay men, in this story were called “funny,” only cemented how ignorant some people can be. Upon my own liberation from the closet, my mother asked me if I was funny… and it was the single most hardest silence I’ve ever felt. But for her to dismiss my answer only hurt more. My own father didn’t speak to me for 2 weeks. But now, nearly 10 years later, I’m married, my family has an amazing relationship with me and my husband. But still I would recommend this to any parent struggling with their kid’s sexuality.
This book Daniel Black has brought forth to the world had me in a whirlwind of tears and laughter and anger. In the particular scene of a friend suffering from AIDS comes to visit Isaac but Jacob stops to inform him that his son had moved away. I ugly cried for 20 minutes. The fact that Jacob was disgusted by how the young man looked, with sores and emaciated look to him. Jacob’s only thought was that his son would never sink that low to get the “gay disease.”
This book is possibly my favorite book I’ve read all year and I will recommend it to anyone. Just make sure you have tissues. In fact, make it a crying towel. There’s a lot of tears to be shed.
What a roller coaster of emotions! This book has all the feels. I don’t know how many time I had to put this book down because of the sole fact that I related so much with the son and how he was treated by his father. The amount of hardships and struggles Jacob went through not just as a man but as a Black man struggling in a world that was already made hard for him by history but to have a gay son as well.
Many of the words Jacob said to Isaac my own father/mother has said to me. I don’t know if it’s a Southern thing but the fact that many of the gay men, or supposed gay men, in this story were called “funny,” only cemented how ignorant some people can be. Upon my own liberation from the closet, my mother asked me if I was funny… and it was the single most hardest silence I’ve ever felt. But for her to dismiss my answer only hurt more. My own father didn’t speak to me for 2 weeks. But now, nearly 10 years later, I’m married, my family has an amazing relationship with me and my husband. But still I would recommend this to any parent struggling with their kid’s sexuality.
This book Daniel Black has brought forth to the world had me in a whirlwind of tears and laughter and anger. In the particular scene of a friend suffering from AIDS comes to visit Isaac but Jacob stops to inform him that his son had moved away. I ugly cried for 20 minutes. The fact that Jacob was disgusted by how the young man looked, with sores and emaciated look to him. Jacob’s only thought was that his son would never sink that low to get the “gay disease.”
This book is possibly my favorite book I’ve read all year and I will recommend it to anyone. Just make sure you have tissues. In fact, make it a crying towel. There’s a lot of tears to be shed.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Pregnancy, Violence, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child death, Chronic illness, Classism, Emotional abuse, Grief, Homophobia, Racism, Abortion, Cancer, Death, Death of parent, Terminal illness, Bullying, Hate crime, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexism, Slavery, and Toxic relationship
onemorepagecrew's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Don’t Cry for Me by Daniel Black might be my favorite book of the year. I know we have 5 months left to go, but this story was incredibly special. In this fictional novel a father, Jacob, is writing to his son, Isaac, from his deathbed.
He writes of his relationship with Isaac’s mother, his reaction to learning that Isaac is gay, his experiences as a Black man and father, and ultimately his journey with the choices he has made throughout his life.
The writing in this book is beautiful and free flowing. It feels as though someone has poured their life and their reflections into letters. There is honesty with vulnerability, and I ached for both Jacob and Isaac. Please read this book and sink into it; it’s absolutely wonderful.
I hope the rumors are true that a follow-up book from Isaac’s perspective is in the works. #fingerscrossed
Content warnings: Homophobia, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Bullying
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Bullying, Homophobia, and Death of parent