Though she has lamented booksellers’ tendency to lump colloquial African American books into a subcategory (see: the derogatory “Urban Lit”) rather than recognizing it as literary fiction, Jesmyn Ward took home The National Book Award for Fiction tonight. And it’s well deserved. I’m halfway through her novel, which is woven together from firsthand experiences with Hurricane Katrina, and it’s both haunting and hopeful, both lyrical and uniquely narrated.
It’s a quick read, so even non-readers should (please!) give this one a look.
Though she has lamented booksellers’ tendency to lump colloquial African American books into a subcategory (see: the derogatory “Urban Lit”) rather than recognizing it as literary fiction, Jesmyn Ward took home The National Book Award for Fiction tonight. And it’s well deserved. I’m halfway through her novel, which is woven together from firsthand experiences with Hurricane Katrina, and it’s both haunting and hopeful, both lyrical and uniquely narrated.
It’s a quick read, so even non-readers should (please!) give this one a look.
Posted 3 months ago & Filed under madprops, southernpride,
