Don’t be put off by the 2+ lbs. or the 622 pages! This is narrative non-fiction at its best. The Warmth of Other Suns is a fascinating history lesson that every American should know. The book documents the regional migration of African-Americans from the Jim Crow south between World War I through the 1970s. This epic narrative is structured by detailing the life/journey of three different individuals: a sharecropper’s wife from rural Mississippi to Chicago in the 1930s; a bright activist from the orchards of Florida to NYC in the 1940s; and a physician from Louisiana to Los Angeles in the 1950s. The book traces their lives as they settle into new communities and follows until their deaths; the journeys were brave and unforgettable.
The lives of these 3 people are framed by the cultural, geographic and political sociology of the times. The author interviewed over 1200 people and studied records and data to create a vibrant and compelling treatise of an important regional migration, tenderly told. Very highly recommended for adults and teens.
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