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4.39 AVERAGE
4.39 AVERAGE
i don’t know how to rate this but i know many men that need to read this. it was so infuriating to read because i have first hand experience with a man who acts just like Jacob, but it is honestly the harsh truth of many black father-son relationships. this is set only a couple generations past slavery and i promise the same behaviors are still being passed down.
I wish I could give this book more than 5 stars! I read it in less than 24 hours. I could not put it down. The anticipation of the ending made me continue to read “one more page” until I read it all. This is my favorite read of 2023 thus far and I’m 8 books in!
I really enjoyed this book. I think anyone can read this and get something from it. From a fathers perspective writing letters to his boy, everyone can learn something new. The ending was a little slow but overall this was a nice comforting book.
This was a moving novel about a man’s life and his failures as a father told through letters written by him to his estranged, gay son. Jacob was never able to connect with his son Isaac, as Isaac was sensitive and didn’t like sports, so he didn’t meet Jacob’s idea of what a boy and a man should be. On his deathbed, Jacob reflects on his upbringing and how he raised his son and regrets the choices he made. I loved getting Jacob’s POV, as usually in stories like this, they are told from the perspective of Isaac’s character. We were really able to sit with Jacob as he truly reflected on his failures as a father. I did, however, wish we got at least a little bit of Jacob’s perspective, as we only get to see him through his father’s eyes and since they are estranged, we don’t really get to even know him as a character. I am really glad I read this novel now, as I am about to become a father in a few months. I will definitely be taking lessons from it about how fathers should be vulnerable and open with their children and not to let things go unsaid with anyone you love, but particularly your children.
I was a little nervous going into this novel knowing that the entire book consisted of letters.
However, this novel was absolutely stunning, painful, and an emotional experience. I especially found it moving since Daniel Black stated that he wrote this book based on his own relationship with his father.
I believe everyone should read this book, anybody can connect to this story.
However, this novel was absolutely stunning, painful, and an emotional experience. I especially found it moving since Daniel Black stated that he wrote this book based on his own relationship with his father.
I believe everyone should read this book, anybody can connect to this story.
I was not emotionally stable enough to read this and I will never be emotionally stable again
Written in the form of letters that make up chapters, Don't Cry for Me is a father's love letter to the son he rejected for not meeting the standard of manhood he set for him. Within the letters, the father explores the examples of what black men were supposed to look like, what they were to do, how they were to live, how they were to express themselves and how they were to interact with others.
In writing the letters, the father tells the history of their family and how he was raised by his grandparents, how he met his son's mother and how he saw their father & son relationship. At times he seems to seek redemption and at others he makes no apologies for his ways. But as his letter writing continues over the course a few months, we see the father's thinking evolve in some facets, but not all. My only regret is that the reader doesn't have a chance to find out how the letters are received by the son or if the father ever sends them.
I absolutely loved this book. I've long been a fan of Daniel Black's writing so I was excited to see he was releasing a new book. It was well worth the wait.
In writing the letters, the father tells the history of their family and how he was raised by his grandparents, how he met his son's mother and how he saw their father & son relationship. At times he seems to seek redemption and at others he makes no apologies for his ways. But as his letter writing continues over the course a few months, we see the father's thinking evolve in some facets, but not all. My only regret is that the reader doesn't have a chance to find out how the letters are received by the son or if the father ever sends them.
I absolutely loved this book. I've long been a fan of Daniel Black's writing so I was excited to see he was releasing a new book. It was well worth the wait.