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Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments

Intimate Histories of Riotous Black Girls, Troublesome Women and Queer Radicals
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( 4,778 ratings, 704 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments by Saidiya Hartman vividly explores the lives of young black women in early 20th-century America as they resist societal constraints and pursue freedom and identity. Through a blend of history and imagination, Hartman brings to light the personal stories and struggles of these women who redefine love, work, and the idea of home in a rapidly changing world. The narrative challenges traditional historical accounts by centring on individuals often overlooked, crafting a unique and thought-provoking portrayal of their experiences.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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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?

You might like this book if you are fascinated by the untold stories of early 20th-century African American women who sought to redefine freedom and expression in their lives. The author provides a compelling exploration of their intimate narratives, blending historical detail with creative storytelling, making it an engaging read for those interested in social history and cultural studies.

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Revolution in a minor key: how young black women invented freedom.

Revolution in a minor key: how young black women invented freedom

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

WINNER OF THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD

SHORTLISTED FOR THE JAMES TAIT BLACK PRIZE 2020

At the dawn of the twentieth century, black women in the US were carving out new ways of living. The first generations born after emancipation, their struggle was to live as if they really were free.

These women refused to labour like slaves. Wrestling with the question of freedom, they invented forms of love and solidarity outside convention and law. These were the pioneers of free love, common-law and transient marriages, queer identities, and single motherhoodβ€”all deemed scandalous, even pathological, at the dawn of the twentieth century, though they set the pattern for the world to come.

In Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments, Saidiya Hartman deploys both radical scholarship and profound literary intelligence to examine the transformation of intimate life that they instigated. With visionary intensity, she conjures their worlds, their dilemmas, their defiant brilliance.

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?

Saidiya Hartman's Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments has been highly praised for its innovative approach to historical scholarship, infusing the often-overlooked lives of early 20th-century Black women and queer individuals with urgency and depth. Hartman's writing is described as both intimate and radical, offering a deeply moving narrative that reveals the multidimensional lives of its subjects. Critics commend the book for its blend of rigorous research with lyrical storytelling, challenging conventional history and gloriously bringing to light forgotten stories of resistance and self-discovery.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781788163248

Publisher: Profile Books Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 04 March 2021

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Serpent's Tail

Edition: Main

Illustration: Black and white photos throughout

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 26.0mm

Width: 124.0mm

Height: 194.0mm

Weight: 340g

Pages: 416

About the Author

Saidiya Hartman is a Columbia University professor of English and Comparative Literature. She is the author of Scenes of Subjection: Terror, Slavery, and Self-making in Nineteenth Century America (1997) and Lose Your Mother: A Journey Along the Atlantic Slave Route (2007). In 2019, Hartman was awarded a prestigious MacArthur 'Genius' Grant.

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