On the Southern Literary Trail discussion

Comments on this board should be written with the assumption that not all readers have finished the book. Please take care not to reveal information that might lessen other readers’ enjoyment.

FYI: This book was previously read and discussed by this group in December, 2017. If you are interested, here are the links to those discussions.

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

I picked the book up today and planned to just look through it. However, I began reading and quickly got pulled into Jo-Jo’s narrative. He’s a character I already care about.

I got the Audible version of this book, which I will listen to after I finish listening to The Gospel Singer.

I read this a few years ago and enjoyed it. I’ll try to follow along and see if the discussion spurns my memory.

I’ll do the same thing as Lori.

I need to reread this one thank you for choosing it

I read this with the group last time, so I'll just follow the discussion. It's very good.

I've already read the book, and recommend it to other readers.

I own this one and I'm excited about finally getting to it.

I have read this book and it truly relatable to me and one of my all time favorites. This is basically my family story.

I will start listening to the audio book tomorrow.

I don’t think I’d be giving too much away by sharing my short review of this excellent book.

I read Sing Unburied Sing over two years ago and as I reviewed my highlights of the book, I recalled how it was equally painful and joyous. I highly recommend it. It tells a story of 3 generations of a Rural Mississippi Black family, the two children, a 13 year old boy and a toddler girl, their drug addicted mother, who cares about her children but can’t raise herself above her needs, the grandparents, “Mam” and “Pop”, who have lessons to teach if only they can be received, an imprisoned White father and the White grandfather and the Ghosts that permeate the story.

If for no other reason, read this wonderful book for its lyrical language.

“I left him sitting in the passenger seat as the sun softened and lit the edges of the sky, rising.”
“ Sometimes the world don’t give you what you need, no matter how hard you look. Sometimes it withholds.”
“ carved a rose that looked like a muddy puddle”
“ I hear Pop through the door, hear his voice threading through the keyhole.”
“ His voice is molasses slow.”

Sherrie, I am not very far into the story, but I have also been struck by the poetry of Ward’s words. I am listening to the audio book so I cannot clip sentences, but I think I could already come up with half a dozen great ones.

Terry, I am an avid Audiobook reader, but I often note what you have said, that I don’t like not being able to quote from the book.