The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers

Published on February 16, 2022

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Reviewed by Nicole Zimmermann 

Jeffers’ epic tells the tale of the many generations of a family living on the same land in the fictional town of Chicasetta, Georgia. As the reader is taken through Ailey’s life as well as the lives of her ancestors, the concept of double consciousness begins to take hold: the internal conflict experienced by marginalized groups in an oppressive society. Ailey struggles to find her way in the world through trauma but carries on with the support of the women in her family, reaching back two centuries.

This is one of the best books I have ever read. Known for her poetry, Jeffers’ way with words is just as beautiful in this long format. While the content of this book is devastating, this is an important book; one that I believe will be discussed for years to come when it comes to the concept of triple consciousness, double consciousness with the consideration of an intersecting identity such as gender, experienced by women of color.

Star Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Favorite Excerpt: “We are the earth, the land. The tongue that speaks and trips on the names of the dead as it dares to tell these stories of a woman’s line. Her people and her dirt, her trees”

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