Imagine the Library you want! Join the
discussion from May 15 to June 15, 2013. The Warmth of Other Suns
- set item rating to 0.5 out of 5.
- set item rating to 1 out of 5.
- set item rating to 1.5 out of 5.
- set item rating to 2 out of 5.
- set item rating to 2.5 out of 5.
- set item rating to 3 out of 5.
- set item rating to 3.5 out of 5.
- set item rating to 4 out of 5.
- set item rating to 4.5 out of 5.
- set item rating to 5 out of 5.
Add a Comment
Add Tags
Add More
Save to a List
-
Save to a Shared List
Print
Item Details
- Description
- Full Record
- Author Notes
- Contents
- Excerpts
- Reviews
- Summary
- A\V Summary
- Preview
Searching for more content…
One of The New York Times Book Review's 10 Best Books of the Year. In this epic, beautifully written masterwork, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Isabel Wilkerson chronicles one of the great untold stories of American history: the decades-long migration of black citizens who fled the South for northern
… More »One of The New York Times Book Review's 10 Best Books of the Year. In this epic, beautifully written masterwork, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Isabel Wilkerson chronicles one of the great untold stories of American history: the decades-long migration of black citizens who fled the South for northern and western cities, in search of a better life. From 1915 to 1970, this exodus of almost six million people changed the face of America. Wilkerson compares this epic migration to the migrations of other peoples in history. She interviewed more than a thousand people, and gained access to new data and official records, to write this definitive and vividly dramatic account of how these American journeys unfolded, altering our cities, our country, and ourselves. With stunning historical detail, Wilkerson tells this story through the lives of three unique individuals: Ida Mae Gladney, who in 1937 left sharecropping and prejudice in Mississippi for Chicago, where she achieved quiet blue-collar success and, in old age, voted for Barack Obama when he ran for an Illinois Senate seat; sharp and quick-tempered George Starling, who in 1945 fled Florida for Harlem, where he endangered his job fighting for civil rights, saw his family fall, and finally found peace in God; and Robert Foster, who left Louisiana in 1953 to pursue a medical career, the personal physician to Ray Charles as part of a glitteringly successful medical career, which allowed him to purchase a grand home where he often threw exuberant parties. Wilkerson brilliantly captures their first treacherous and exhausting cross-country trips by car and train and their new lives in colonies that grew into ghettos, as well as how they changed these cities with southern food, faith, and culture and improved them with discipline, drive, and hard work. Both a riveting microcosm and a major assessment, The Warmth of Other Suns is a bold, remarkable, and riveting work, a superb account of an "unrecognized immigration" within our own land. Through the breadth of its narrative, the beauty of the writing, the depth of its research, and the fullness of the people and lives portrayed herein, this book is destined to become a classic.
« LessBeginnings. Ida Mae Brandon Gladney ; The stirrings of discontent ; George Swanson Starling ; Robert Joseph Pershing Foster ; A burdensome labor ; The Awakening ; Breaking away
Exodus. The appointed time of their coming ; Crossing over
The kinder mistress. Chicago ; New York ; Los Angeles ; The things they left behind ; Transplanted in alien soil ; Divisions ; To bend in strange winds ; The other side of Jordan ; Complications ; The river keeps running ; The prodigals ; Disillusionment ; Revolutions ; The fullness of the migration
Aftermath. In the places they left ; Losses ; More North and West than South ; Redemption ; And, perhaps, to bloom ; The winter of their lives ; The emancipation of Ida Mae.
In the land of the forefathers. Leaving ; The Great Migration, 1915-1970 -- Beginnings. Ida Mae Brandon Gladney ; The stirrings of discontent ; George Swanson Starling ; Robert Joseph Pershing Foster ; A burdensome labor ; The Awakening ; Breaking away -- Exodus. The appointed time of their coming ; Crossing over -- The kinder mistress. Chicago ; New York ; Los Angeles ; The things they left behind ; Transplanted in alien soil ; Divisions ; To bend in strange winds ; The other side of Jordan ; Complications ; The river keeps running ; The prodigals ; Disillusionment ; Revolutions ; The fullness of the migration -- Aftermath. In the places they left ; Losses ; More North and West than South ; Redemption ; And, perhaps, to bloom ; The winter of their lives ; The emancipation of Ida Mae.
Community Activity
Find it at OPL
Loading...
Please keep in mind that some of the content that we make available to you through this application comes from Amazon Web Services. All such content is provided to you "as is". This content and your use of it are subject to change and/or removal at any time.
Comment
Add a CommentNPR review
interesting informative history through the eyes of those who lived it
An extremely interesting read. The Warmth of Other Suns was one of those books that are a must read to understand the experiences of others. Very touching, inspiring, and sometimes sad.
An exhaustive study of the migration of six million Afro-Americans from the south to the north, told through three narratives. Long but worth it.
I couldn't put this book down. It follows the stories of three of the Great Migration's migrants from childhood to death, mainly consisting of anecdotes recounted by those people. Some of the stories are horrifying, some sad, and some inspiring. The stories make history come alive. I feel like I have a much better sense of what this period in American history was like, even though the book as a whole is not particularly scholarly.
The story here should be part of every school curriculum in north america. The migration of southern blacks was a profound act for the entire nation, and beyond. What no one seems to notice, or mention, is how badly written the book is. For a professor of journalism and nonfiction writing, Wilkerson seems unfamiliar with basic sentence structure and is endlessly repetitive. She frequently contradicts herself and repeats mundane and meaningless quotes that add noting to the thesis. Well worth reading, but a chore for devotees of Strunk & White, or former editors.
What a wonderful portrayal of events & situations that I witnessed in the south. All told in a warm, enlightening and authentic manner. Should be required reading for school children and desired reading for those who want to truly understand what black people in the south went through - if they were fortunate to go through it.
This book will alter your perception of our country forever. The genius of the book is that it delivers a sweeping, historical narrative through the lives of flesh and blood people - not composites or dry statistics. It is impeccably-researched history wrapped in masterful storytelling. In agreeing with other reviewers, this book should be required reading of all who wish to understand our country.
I really, really loved it. I first heard about the book when I was listening to a podcast of the New York Times Book Review when the author gave a short interview about the book and really wanted to read the book afterwards. In otherwords, I was intrigued with the concept of the book and really like it. I wasn't disappointed with the book and really liked the stories of the three principles that she wrote about. I almost felt like I wanted to go to these people to hear their stories about life in the South before they left for their Northern and Western cities. They almost became like family to me, hearing about how they got to their certain points in the United States and how they met with the challenges that confronted them. I highly recommend the book.
This book, as well as Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, should be required reading in every North American high school curriculum.