Author: Jesmyn Ward
Men We Reaped is one of the rare non-fiction books that seems destined to be a literary classic.
National Book Award Winner Jesmyn Ward “intertwines the story of her life growing up poor and Black in rural coastal Mississippi with the lives of five young men – including her brother – who died within a two-year span soon after she finished college,” said a review in goodreads.com.
Ward “writes with fire and passion as she captures the day-to-day and systemic injustices that she and her family faced and the struggles they went through,” it said.
“What’s also clear is the deep love and roots that tie her to the people and place where she was raised. This book will break your heart, make you think, and get you angry — all at once,” said the review.
The author details the difficulty of growing up poor and black in rural Mississippi.
She “writes powerfully about the pressures this brings, on the women who stand in for family in a society where the men are often absent.”
The memoir places personal tragedy against the backdrop of systemic racism and poverty.
