Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Uncovering history

I have been very intrigued by the stories about Isabel Wilkerson's new book, The Warmth of Other Suns, about the great migration of African Americans from the south to the north and west. She explores all the individual reasons they left in the middle of last century and focuses on three individuals to weave the tale. And she writes about the conditions they left, apparently without repeating what we've all heard about already.

She's gotten a lot of coverage - and I'm so happy to see it. I hope the book has a big impact -it sure sounds like it will be a popular read as well as an addition to college courses. Here are links to some of the stories. (I heard her on NPR - I certainly hope to hear her live during her tour).

Detroit Free Press (Recalling an African American that remade America

NPR - Fresh Air (Great Migration: The African American Exodus North)

New York Times (A Writer's Long Journey to Trace the Great Migration)

Boston Globe (A Moving Legacy)

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