Welcome to another Tuesday celebrating bookish events, First Chapter/Intros, hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea; and Teaser Tuesdays hosted by The Purple Booker.
Today’s feature is a recent download: Sing, Unburied, Sing, by Jesmyn Ward, is a majestic new work and an unforgettable family story.
Intro: (Jojo)
I like to think I know what death is. I like to think that it’s something I could look at straight. When Pop tell me he need my help and I see that black knife slid into the belt of his pants, I follow Pop out the house, try to keep my back straight, my shoulders even as a hanger; that’s how Pop walks. I try to look like this is normal and boring so Pop will think I’ve earned these thirteen years, so Pop will know I’m ready to pull what needs to be pulled, separate innards from muscle, organs from cavities. I want Pop to know I can get bloody. Today’s my birthday.
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Teaser: (Jojo)
Kayla need to eat. I can tell by the way she keep crying, the way she keep hunching over and then knocking her head back and arching against her seat once we get back on the road. And screaming. I can tell there’s something wrong with her stomach. (p. 107).
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Synopsis: In Jesmyn Ward’s first novel since her National Book Award–winning Salvage the Bones, this singular American writer brings the archetypal road novel into rural twenty-first-century America. An intimate portrait of a family and an epic tale of hope and struggle, Sing, Unburied, Sing journeys through Mississippi’s past and present, examining the ugly truths at the heart of the American story and the power—and limitations—of family bonds.
Jojo is thirteen years old and trying to understand what it means to be a man. He doesn’t lack in fathers to study, chief among them his Black grandfather, Pop. But there are other men who complicate his understanding: his absent White father, Michael, who is being released from prison; his absent White grandfather, Big Joseph, who won’t acknowledge his existence; and the memories of his dead uncle, Given, who died as a teenager.
His mother, Leonie, is an inconsistent presence in his and his toddler sister’s lives. She is an imperfect mother in constant conflict with herself and those around her. She is Black and her children’s father is White. She wants to be a better mother but can’t put her children above her own needs, especially her drug use. Simultaneously tormented and comforted by visions of her dead brother, which only come to her when she’s high, Leonie is embattled in ways that reflect the brutal reality of her circumstances.
When the children’s father is released from prison, Leonie packs her kids and a friend into her car and drives north to the heart of Mississippi and Parchman Farm, the State Penitentiary. At Parchman, there is another thirteen-year-old boy, the ghost of a dead inmate who carries all of the ugly history of the South with him in his wandering. He too has something to teach Jojo about fathers and sons, about legacies, about violence, about love.
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What do you think? Do you want to keep reading?
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I’m not sure about that opening paragraph. I think something bad is about to happen. I hope its enjoyable.
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Definitely! The narrator’s voice will take getting used to, also. Thanks for visiting, Margot.
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I like the description of this book but not just about the teasers…I might wait for the review 🙂
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Thanks, Emma, I hope the book has alternate narrators…I am having trouble with the language of “Jojo.”
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I’ll be eager to hear what you think about this one. It doesn’t sound like something I’d choose. My book this week is Killman Creek by Rachel Caine. Happy reading!
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Thanks, Kathy, I was drawn in by the buzz…and the blurb. Enjoy your pick…I have the first book in the series.
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I really want to know just what they are hunting.
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Yes, I am tempted by the possibilities. Thanks for stopping by, Alice Audrey.
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I have high hopes for this book and plan to read it also. (I wasn’t too fond of Salvage the Bones, though.) Hope this is a good read for you.
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Thanks, Catherine, I didn’t read Salvage the Bones…I guess I will decide after reading this one. Thanks for stopping by.
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I’ve seen this one around, but it’s not something I would probably pick up. I’ll wait to see your review. My Teaser is from a humorous cozy.
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Thanks, Laura, glad you could stop by! Off to check your humorous cozy.
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I’ve had this book on my radar due to all the praise and that intro definitely makes you take notice! Hope you are enjoying this one!
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Thanks for visiting, Iliana, and I love finding books that others love.
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I’d read more fore sure. I ‘m looking forward to this one.
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Thanks, Diane, I’m glad you enjoyed the teasers…and thanks for hosting.
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I’m on the fence. Looking forward to your review!
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Thanks for stopping by, Tina…
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I think I’d like this book from what you’ve shared.
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BTW: I LOVE that little pink car in all that snow!
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I am excited about it, too, Vicki…and I have a thing for little VW cars…pink in snow seemed to pop.
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