Let Us Descend: Oprah's Book Club
by Jesmyn Ward
Couldn't load pickup availability
OPRAH'S BOOK CLUB PICK - Instant New York Times Bestseller - Named one of the best books of 2023 by The Washington Post, Vanity Fair, The Boston Globe, Time, The New Yorker, and more.
"Nothing short of epic, magical, and intensely moving." --Vogue - "A novel of triumph." --The Washington Post - "Harrowing, immersive, and other-worldly." --People
From "one of America's finest living writers" (San Francisco Chronicle) and "heir apparent to Toni Morrison" (LitHub)--comes a haunting masterpiece about an enslaved girl in the years before the Civil War that's destined to become a classic.
Let Us Descend describes a journey from the rice fields of the Carolinas to the slave markets of New Orleans and into the fearsome heart of a Louisiana sugar plantation. A journey that is as beautifully rendered as it is heart wrenching, the novel is "[t]he literary equivalent of an open wound from which poetry pours" (NPR).
Annis, sold south by the white enslaver who fathered her, is the reader's guide. As she struggles through the miles-long march, Annis turns inward, seeking comfort from memories of her mother and stories of her African warrior grandmother. Throughout, she opens herself to a world beyond this world, one teeming with spirits: of earth and water, of myth and history; spirits who nurture and give, and those who manipulate and take. While Annis leads readers through the descent, hers is ultimately a story of rebirth and reclamation.
From one of the most singularly brilliant and beloved writers of her generation, this "[s]earing and lyrical...raw, transcendent, and ultimately hopeful" (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution) novel inscribes Black American grief and joy into the very land--the rich but unforgiving forests, swamps, and rivers of the American South. Let Us Descend is Jesmyn Ward's most magnificent novel yet.
Share
Book Details
- ISBN
- 9781982104498
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Authors
- Jesmyn Ward
- Publisher
- Scribner Book Company
- Published Date
- October 24, 2023
- Language
- English
- Pages
- 320
- Physical Info
- 1.1 in H x 8.5 in L x 5.7 in W (1.0 lb)

Excellent product and service! Thank you! Highest recommend!
Well written, but dark
This is a difficult novel for a white woman to read. It's very graphic with words. I always knew that slavery was so very wrong. However after reading this book this I have a greater understanding of the horror of slavery!To abuse another human is unforgivable!I strongly recommend this book to those wanting more knowledge of the horror of slavery.
Reading a novel dealing with such a torturous time in our nations’ history, brings about a range of emotions: anger, sorrow and weariness. I imagine the author must have felt much of this as she was writing “Let Us Descend. “ Each page was wrapped in hopelessness, but pockets of love and resilience shone through in unexpected places, much like light shining through the cracks of a stone wall. The story centers on a young enslaved girl named Annis. She is fortunate enough to have her mother with her and it is she teaches Annis to fight with weapons hidden in the woods behind the slave cabins. During this time of bonding with her mother, Annis learns to wield the weapons with accuracy. Soon after, her and her mother are torn apart, a common occurrence in slavery. Annis is unmoored , but finds comfort in her friend Safi. They both are later sold to slave masters in the Deep South, which is a hell within itself. On the long journey to New Orleans, Annis is guided by Aza, an ancestral spirit from centuries past who embodies the warrior women. She manifests herself in various forms of nature ( water, wind) and prods and challenges Annis, watches over her, but withholds what Annis needs the most: love and belonging, safety and protection; all of the things that never have rightly belonged to the enslaved. Annis learns to fight for her life, using whatever weapons are handy. She is able to push forward forging a destiny of her choosing.
I hope there’s a sequel…I want to know what becomes of Annis, but I know her tenacity will continue to lead her. Ward never disappoints, and this book is no different. This book took me on a journey of reflection and remembrance, and I’m so glad I took it.
)
)