The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois

Name: The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois
Brand: HarperCollins New Zealand
SKU: 9780008516499
Price: 23.0 NZD
Availability: InStock

By Honorée Fanonne Jeffers

0.0 (0 reviews)

4.51

( 40,560 ratings, 5,886 reviews)

Summary

The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers is an epic novel that intertwines the history of an African American family with the broader tapestry of American history. It follows Ailey Pearl Garfield as she seeks to understand her mother, regain lost family connections, and reconcile her identity amidst personal and cultural complexities. The narrative beautifully weaves themes of heritage, struggle, and resilience, enriched by the wisdom of historical voices and resonant issues of race and identity.
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Format: Paperback / softback

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The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois

$23⁰⁰

Elsewhere:

~~$25⁰⁰~~

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This captivating novel weaves together the intricate history of an African American family, offering a profound exploration of identity, heritage, and resilience. You might enjoy it if you appreciate stories that are rich in historical depth and emotional resonance, or if you're drawn to narratives that interlace personal and ancestral histories. This book may appeal to you if you're interested in thematic explorations of race, culture, and the search for selfhood.

The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois

THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER AN OPRAH BOOK CLUB PICK ‘Deeply moving’ Sarah Winman, author of Still Life ‘Remarkable’ Afua Hirsch, author of Brit(ish) ‘A sweeping epic … Outstanding’ Daily Mail

The International Bestseller & Oprah Book Club Pick

Description

The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois

THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER
AN OPRAH BOOK CLUB PICK

‘Deeply moving’ — Sarah Winman, author of Still Life
‘Remarkable’ — Afua Hirsch, author of Brit(ish)
‘A sweeping epic … Outstanding’ — Daily Mail

Immerse yourself in a celebration of Black womanhood and an epic tale of the stories that span generations.

Ailey Pearl Garfield grows up between the City in the north and summers spent in her mother’s small hometown of Chicasetta, Georgia. From an early age, she finds herself in a battle for belonging that’s made all the more difficult by a hurt in her past, as well as the whispers of women—her mother, Belle, her sister, Lydia, and a maternal line reaching back two centuries—that urge Ailey to succeed in their stead.

To come to terms with her identity, Ailey embarks 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, Ailey 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.

‘Mesmerising… magnificent’ — Independent

‘Astonishing… A great work infused with love and honesty’ — Alice Walker, author of The Color Purple

‘Gripping, gorgeous. A sweeping family saga that is also history at its most intimate and vital’ — Stef Penney, author of The Tenderness of Wolves

LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR FICTION • SHORTLISTED FOR THE CENTER FOR FICTION FIRST NOVEL PRIZE • LONGLISTED FOR THE ASPEN LITERARY PRIZE

20 Highest Rated Books on Goodreads 2025 • 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

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

The novel receives widespread acclaim for its engrossing narrative, exceptional engagement with history, and breathtaking prose. It is described as a profound, remarkable, and intimate portrayal of an American family spanning multiple generations, blending indigenous, African, and European heritages. Critics have praised it as a phenomenal and essential read, highlighting its ambition and satisfaction, along with its impact as both deeply informative and emotionally moving.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780008516499

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 23 June 2022

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Fourth Estate Ltd

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 51.0mm

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 560g

Pages: 816

Collections

Featured Fiction General Fiction Honorée Fanonne Jeffers In-Stock Fiction Books Literary Fiction New Release Fiction

About the Author

Honorée 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.