Reviews tagging 'Terminal illness'

BY Wilkerson, Isabel ( Author ) [{ The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration By Wilkerson, Isabel ( Author ) Oct - 04- 2011 ( Paperback ) } ] by Isabel Wilkerson

6 reviews

lauryn_bedford1's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

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. 
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princxporkchop's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny hopeful informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.25

A crucial archive of Black culture and history that's unfortunately weakened at times by its liberal academic sensibilities, particularly with its adherence to respectability politics and the lionization of war criminal Barack Obama.
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jaiari12's review against another edition

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informative inspiring slow-paced

5.0

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mooncake8008's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

Wow. What an amazing read. I was intimidates by this book when I initially picked this book up due to it's length and font size. But Wilkerson's ability to weave narrative and facts about the Great Migration is so seamless and it made for a very quick read. 

There is such rich history in this book. Definitely a must read.
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chloeml's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative reflective slow-paced

4.0

While a little bit redundant at times, this book was a gripping take on life as a Black American during this time period. It was both extremely educational and engaging, with a narrative/story structure that kept the book from feeling like a history book.
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caseythereader's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative reflective slow-paced

4.75

 📚 This is one of the most engaging nonfiction books I've ever read. Wilkerson's narrative style draws you in immediately.
📚 It's such an incredible account of ordinary people doing something extraordinary. So much of the history we learn is about the exceptional people, and Wilkerson reminds us that history is also written by everyday people.
📚 I never learned about this period of history in school - we never made it much beyond the turn of the century in my classes. We often think of historical events as discrete periods of time, but THE WARMTH OF OTHER SUNS deftly shows how interconnected everything is. 
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