A review by 1librarianspath
Fortune's Bones: The Manumission Requiem by Marilyn Nelson

3.0

I feel really torn by this one. The reason for the book (commissioned by the museum that found Fortune’s skeleton and wanted to recover his history) is fascinating, and horrifying. The nod to Thich Nhat Hanh, one of my favourite Buddhists, was lovely too. However, the actual Manumission Requiem left something to be desired. I definitely felt the ties to the church in the Kyrie and the pain in Dinah’s Lament, but overall the whole thing felt a bit flat. Maybe it was just my mood at the time of reading, but I’m still very glad I read it because it’s really interesting to read about Fortune and his family.