Jesmyn Ward is amazing, and I'm so glad I read this book. There are so many books about race out right now and over the past few years (for good reason), but this one was one of the most well written.

A variety of styles of narrative non fiction and poetry undergird a personal but robust collection of musings on identity and the status of black people in the US. Reading it in 2020 felt a little like going in a time machine but many of the pieces are more timeless than politic specific. A bit like the Baldwin it often references

This is a powerful collection featuring a diverse group of authors and perspectives that coalesce beautifully around the theme of race in America. I’d already encountered many of these pieces elsewhere, but plenty were new to me and prompted additions to my must-read author list. I’d highly recommend this to anyone seeking greater understanding of the experiences and meanings of being non-white in the U.S.

A timely and sifnificant anthology, edited by an author whose place in American letters continues to rise and whose importance cannot be overstated.