Beautifully tragic and hopeful at the same time. An amazing historical account and an incredibly personal, intimate look at the great migration that shaped the US. I learned and grieved so much.

I’d read an excerpt from Wilkerson’s Caste for an undergraduate sociology class. Back then, I was enthralled with her way with words. So, of course, years later, I picked this up. 

It had a slow start, especially with the back and forth between the three main characters. At times, Wilkerson’s wording is bit clunky, too much, a little self-congratulatory. But, overall, she presents the migrants’ stories in a beautiful retelling. It’s nothing short of masterful. It does become a bit of a slog to read when the migrants have settled into their respective destinations. Even writing this right now, having just finished the book, I’ve forgotten most of what each character went through. It’s a big book (around 530 of actual book) so of course the details get lost. And then, Wilkerson piles on extra chapters of information not directly germane to the characters. Most of them span around 70 years so I’ll give myself grace. But, this book is a wonderful piece of history of education. Just yesterday, I found out that it’s not actually black people that factor into property value decreasing. I learned what a pullman porter was. How Black people hopped trains to make it to the North. “Little” things like this made this read worth it. 

I would give this book 6 stars if I could! The history, storytelling, and arguments were all incredible. I love that the book followed three main characters and offered so much detail on their lives. 

Toni Morrison described this book as "profound, necessary and an absolute delight" and I agree whole heartedly. This book is a treasure I stumbled upon at a bookshop and has given me in the three weeks it took me to finish it a history lesson years in class could never deliver. Easily one of the best non-fiction books I have ever read. I have learnt so much and understood so much about people miles away from my country of birth. I think everybody needs to read this book. It will tug at your heart and at the end so many things will make sense. It tells a very necessary story of the lives of so many African Americans and somewhere along the way you will find yourself deeply invested in the lives of the 3 main characters used to tell the story of so many others of their time. A definite slow burn and it may feel lengthy but it is definitely worth every minute spent reading it.