Do Lord Remember Me

by Julius Lester

In a gray fieldstone house in Nashville, Tennessee, the Reverend Joshua Smith Sr.--the staunch and gentle man known to thousands in black churches throughout the South as the Singing Evangelist and to one white reporter as "the Colored Billy Graham"--is trying to compose his own obituary on what will be the last day of his life. In doing so, he looks back over that life--from his childhood in rural nothern Mississippi to the civil rights movement of the 1960s, from tears of humiliation to songs of celebration and triumph.

When Do Lord Remember was first published in 1984, the Chicago Sun-Times compared it to Alex Haley's Roots , Newsday described it as "exquisitely crafted," People as "distinguished," the Philadelphia Inquirer as "riveting," and the Cleveland Plain-Dealer declared "every page has something worth remembering." Twenty years later and now a classic, Do Lord Remember Me is an eloquent and deeply moving story about a black family's dignified struggle for survival.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

Julius Lester was an American writer of books for children and adults. He was an academic who taught for 32 years (1971–2003) at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He was also a photographer, as well as a musician who recorded two albums of folk music and original songs.

Reviews

[Phyllis | Mocha Drop]

Do Lord, Remember Me is a story about a man, Joshua Smith, who has truly lived his life. As he faces his last days and prepares to write his obituary he reflects on his accomplishments and failures as a parent, minister, and politician. However, the book is more than a "fictional memoir"- it is a history lesson. Spanning decades beginning in the post-Civil War era through the aftermath of the Civil Rights Movement, Lester writes about the plight and elicits the viewpoint of a humble black man with a strong spiritual center struggling to survive in the racist South. It is his soft tread, strong fortification, and faith in God that keep him sane and alive.

As a child, he is the son of sharecroppers and is subjected to destitute conditions as his family deals with infanticide and poverty. He loses his mother to depression, his father to alcoholism, and his older brother to restlessness. He is "called by God" at a young age and becomes a self-ordained country preacher and primary caretaker to his younger siblings. He, by default, became the voice of his flock and caregiver to all, often being the diplomat when dealing with family squabbles, local politicians, and life-threatening racial situations. Lester creates a flawed character in that Rev. Smith is not a perfect father, husband, or brother and the scenes dealing with his faults are depicted with warm sincerity and sensitivity.

In the aftermath of the Civil Rights movement, his type of survival skills were frowned upon by the younger, more outspoken generation. He and others like him were labeled "Uncle Tom" and called cow-towers. They were scorned by the youth, ignored by the masses, and symbolically placed on shelf to be intentionally forgotten. They did not admire the kind of strength, control, and resolve it took for Rev Smith and others like him to humble themselves in the face of adversity.

Despite the slow start, I really enjoyed the book and the history lessons experienced during Rev. Smith's life journey. There were many moments that tapped the emotions - some passages were painful, frustrating, and sorrowful. Lester captures the essence of the eras with splendor - for a black man coming of age in the Jim Crow South, nothing was given and life was not easy and this novel cuts to the core of the sentiment.

[Lisa]

Julius Lester is a good author, I have read many of his children's books. He tells the stories of slavery and his race and it is important for all people to hear them.

[Amaryah Armstrong]

A very moving reflection on black life and death. The prose is clear and the images are attentive and arresting. It set me off searching for more information about and other works by Julius Lester.

[Sha-shonda Porter]

The storytelling is the novel is magnificent! Julius Lester masterfully interweaves the memories and issues of slavery, and pre- and post- Civil Rights movement into Reverend Joshua Smith's reflective narrative. African Americans. The structure of the novel is as signicant as the story itself. Although, the novel takes place in one day, the recounted memories span a lifetime. I cannot emphasize how pleased I am to have read this book.

[Denise]

I found Do Lord Remember Me to be an inspiring and informative read. I read until 1 a.m. so I could finish it, yet was sad to come to the end. I am a white older woman and remember some of the awful things done to blacks. Lester made them so real you could imagine yourself right in the thick of it. I will certainly read whatever else he has written. Very well done!

[Lisha]

This book is a cool drink of water. Some parts I just had to pause or reread– then pause again 😩 I believe this book is important, necessary.

[Nicolette]

I just couldn't put it down. Very poignant, truthful, harsh account of life lived with regret.

[Jamiya]

I loved the book . It had a great story that kept me interested