Overview

A TOP TEN NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER AN OPRAH BOOK CLUB PICK ONE OF BARACK OBAMA’S FAVOURITE BOOKS OF THE YEAR ‘Astonishing… A great work infused with love and honesty’ Alice Walker, author of The Color Purple ‘Deeply moving… it is magnificent’ Sarah Winman, author of Still Life ‘A remarkable work’ Afua Hirsch, author of Brit(ish) ‘Epic… It just consumed me' Oprah Winfrey, Oprah Book Club ‘The kind of book that comes around only once a decade' Washington Post A breath-taking debut novel that chronicles the journey of generations of one American family, from the centuries of the colonial slave trade to our own tumultuous era The great scholar, W.E.B. Du Bois, once wrote about the Problem of race in America, and what he called ‘Double Consciousness,’ a sensitivity that every African American possesses in order to survive. Since childhood, Ailey Pearl Garfield has understood Du Bois's words all too well. From an early age, Ailey fights a battle to feel like she belongs, made all the more difficult by a hovering trauma, as well as the whispers of women – her mother, her sister and a maternal line reaching back two centuries – that urge her to succeed in their stead. Ailey decides to embark on a journey through her family's past, uncovering the shocking tales of generations of ancestors – Indigenous, Black, and white – in the deep South. In doing so she must learn to embrace her full heritage, a legacy of oppression and resistance, bondage and independence, cruelty and resilience that is the story – and the song – of America itself. Sweeping, compulsive and deeply moving, The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers is set to be one of the most talked about books of the year. LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR FICTION • SHORTLISTED FOR THE CENTER FOR FICTION FIRST NOVEL PRIZE • LONGLISTED FOR THE ASPEN LITERARY PRIZE New York Times 10 Best Books of the Year • Time 10 Best Books of the Year • Washington Post 10 Best Books of the Year • People 10 Best Books of the Year • Booklist 10 Best First Novels of the Year

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9780008516451

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Reviews

'Astonishing...so remarkable I'm not sure we collectively ever even dreamed it' Alice Walker, author of The Colour Purple, from her blog Alice Walker's Garden 'Whatever must be said to get you to heft this daunting debut novel by Honoree Fanonne Jeffers, I'll say, because The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois is the kind of book that comes around only once a decade ... With the depth of its intelligence and the breadth of its vision, Love Songs is simply magnificent' Washington Post 'Triumphant... Quite simply the best book that I have read in a very, very long time... An epic tale of adventure that brings to mind characters you never forget: Meg Murry in A Wrinkle in Time, Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird, Huckleberry Finn... Just as Toni Morrison did in Beloved, Jeffers uses fiction to fill in the gaping blanks of those who have been rendered nameless and therefore storyless... A sweeping, masterly debut' New York Times 'Just as brilliant as it is necessary, just as intimate as it is expansive. An outstanding portrait of an American family and in turn, an outstanding portrait of America' Angie Thomas, author of The Hate U Give 'It's awe-inspiring. Massive, unflagging, gripping, gorgeous. A sweeping family saga that is also history at its most intimate and vital. I will be recommending it everyone I know. Unforgettable' Stef Penney, author of The Tenderness of Wolves 'If you read one book this year, choose this one ... One of America's finest poets has announced herself as a storyteller of the highest magnitude. Absolutely brilliant' Dolen Perkins-Valdez, author of Wench 'Beautiful ... In Jeffers' deft hands, the story of race and love in America becomes the Great American Novel' Jacqueline Woodson, author of Red at the Bone

'It's awe-inspiring. I can only imagine the amount of research and care that underpins it, yet I couldn't stop reading. Massive, unflagging, gripping, gorgeous. A sweeping family saga that is also history at its most intimate and vital. I will be recommending it everyone I know. Unforgettable' Stef Penney, author of The Tenderness of Wolves ''Whatever must be said to get you to heft this daunting debut novel by Honoree Fanonne Jeffers, I'll say, because The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois is the kind of book that comes around only once a decade ... the journey is engrossing, and the view from the summit will transform your understanding of America ... With the depth of its intelligence and the breadth of its vision, The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois is simply magnificent' Washington Post 'If you read one book this year, choose this one ... With the arrival of this epic novel of family, race, and ancestral legacy, one of America's finest poets has announced herself as a storyteller of the highest magnitude. Absolutely brilliant' Dolen Perkins-Valdez, author of Wench and Balm 'A family saga that is just as brilliant as it is necessary, just as intimate as it is expansive. An outstanding portrait of an American family and in turn, an outstanding portrait of America' Angie Thomas, author of The Hate U Give 'The gorgeous prose one expects from a gifted, accomplished poet, masterful and stunning, as she explores both the bountiful resilience of Black folks and the insidious depravity wrought by white supremacy. These Love Songs make for a frank, feminist, and unforgettable read' Deesha Philyaw, author of The Secret Lives of Church Ladies 'Sweeping, masterly ... Quite simply the best book that I have read in a very, very long time ... 'Love Songs' is so satisfying because it generously feeds a hunger that you might not have even realized you had' New York Times

'A staggering and ambitious saga ... Themes of family, class, higher education, feminism, and colorism yield many rich layers. Readers will be floored' Publishers Weekly, starred review 'If you read one book this year, choose this one ... With the arrival of this epic novel of family, race, and ancestral legacy, one of America's finest poets has announced herself as a storyteller of the highest magnitude. Absolutely brilliant' Dolen Perkins-Valdez, author of Wench and Balm 'A family saga that is just as brilliant as it is necessary, just as intimate as it is expansive. An outstanding portrait of an American family and in turn, an outstanding portrait of America' Angie Thomas, author of The Hate U Give 'The gorgeous prose one expects from a gifted, accomplished poet, masterful and stunning, as she explores both the bountiful resilience of Black folks and the insidious depravity wrought by white supremacy. These Love Songs make for a frank, feminist, and unforgettable read' Deesha Philyaw, author of The Secret Lives of Church Ladies 'Wise, funny, deeply moving, I can't tell you how much I love this book. A few times a generation a book comes along that gathers you up with its force, its insights, its sound and fury, its lyrical beauty. The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois is one of those books. Not merely a good novel, but a great and important one' Stephanie Powell Watts, author of No One Is Coming to Save Us 'A sprawling, ambitious debut novel ... If this isn't the Great American Novel, it's a mighty attempt at achieving one' Kirkus Reviews (starred review) 'A collection of bittersweet love songs that celebrate, as Du Bois did in his work, the beauty and pain of Black life in America. [Jeffers] has constructed a world that aches with humor and deep abiding love' Publishers Weekly

'A staggering and ambitious saga ... Themes of family, class, higher education, feminism, and colorism yield many rich layers. Readers will be floored' Publishers Weekly, starred review ''Whatever must be said to get you to heft this daunting debut novel by Honoree Fanonne Jeffers, I'll say, because The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois is the kind of book that comes around only once a decade ... the journey is engrossing, and the view from the summit will transform your understanding of America ... With the depth of its intelligence and the breadth of its vision, The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois is simply magnificent' Washington Post 'If you read one book this year, choose this one ... With the arrival of this epic novel of family, race, and ancestral legacy, one of America's finest poets has announced herself as a storyteller of the highest magnitude. Absolutely brilliant' Dolen Perkins-Valdez, author of Wench and Balm 'A family saga that is just as brilliant as it is necessary, just as intimate as it is expansive. An outstanding portrait of an American family and in turn, an outstanding portrait of America' Angie Thomas, author of The Hate U Give 'The gorgeous prose one expects from a gifted, accomplished poet, masterful and stunning, as she explores both the bountiful resilience of Black folks and the insidious depravity wrought by white supremacy. These Love Songs make for a frank, feminist, and unforgettable read' Deesha Philyaw, author of The Secret Lives of Church Ladies 'Wise, funny, deeply moving, I can't tell you how much I love this book. A few times a generation a book comes along that gathers you up with its force, its insights, its sound and fury, its lyrical beauty. The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois is one of those books. Not merely a good novel, but a great and important one' Stephanie Powell Watts, author of No One Is Coming to Save Us

Author Information

Honoree Fanonne Jeffers is a fiction writer, poet, and essayist. She is the author of five poetry collections, including The Age of Phillis, which won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work in Poetry, was longlisted for a National Book Award, and was a finalist for the PEN/Voelcker Award for Poetry and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Poetry. She was a contributor to The Fire This Time, edited by Jesmyn Ward, and has been published in the Kenyon Review, the Iowa Review, and other literary magazines. Jeffers was elected into the American Antiquarian Society, whose members include fourteen US presidents, and is a critic at large for the Kenyon Review. She teaches creative writing and literature at the University of Oklahoma.

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