How can a book first published in 1970 exploring generational trauma, systemic oppression & the complex dynamics of existing as a black person in America still feel so fresh, like it was written today? It's a sad reality that we are still facing the exact same issues globally as people of color.

We are introduced to Grange Copeland, a poor black farmer in the South in a story that spans 3 generations which is divided into 3 parts; his life as an oppressed black man, his life as an absentee father after abandoning his family & later his life as a man seeking redemption in his later years.

What stood out for me the most in this book was the role of gender within the context of racial oppression. It is the women in this book; Margaret, Mem, Josie, Ruth who suffer the most from the men's frustrations & failures. It’s not enough that they too suffer in a racist society, there is an additional layer from within their own black community. The men who should be protecting instead take out their frustrations on their women through threats, intimidation & acts of violence.