Dial Press
Memphis: A Read with Jenna Pick
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LONGLISTED FOR THE ASPEN WORDS LITERARY PRIZE - ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The Boston Globe, NPR, BuzzFeed, Glamour, PopSugar Summer 1995: Ten-year-old Joan, her mother, and her younger sister flee her father's explosive temper and seek refuge at her mother's ancestral home in Memphis. This is not the first time violence has altered the course of the family's trajectory. Half a century earlier, Joan's grandfather built this majestic house in the historic Black neighborhood of Douglass--only to be lynched days after becoming the first Black detective in the city. Joan tries to settle into her new life, but family secrets cast a longer shadow than any of them expected. As she grows up, Joan finds relief in her artwork, painting portraits of the community in Memphis. One of her subjects is their enigmatic neighbor Miss Dawn, who claims to know something about curses, and whose stories about the past help Joan see how her passion, imagination, and relentless hope are, in fact, the continuation of a long matrilineal tradition. Joan begins to understand that her mother, her mother's mother, and the mothers before them persevered, made impossible choices, and put their dreams on hold so that her life would not have to be defined by loss and anger--that the sole instrument she needs for healing is her paintbrush. Unfolding over seventy years through a chorus of unforgettable voices that move back and forth in time, Memphis paints an indelible portrait of inheritance, celebrating the full complexity of what we pass down, in a family and as a country: brutality and justice, faith and forgiveness, sacrifice and love.
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Book Details
ISBN:
9780593230503
EAN:
9780593230503
Binding:
Paperback
Pages:
288
Authors:
Tara M Stringfellow
Publisher:
Dial Press
Published Date: 2023-07-03
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This book was captivating. All loose ends and questions answered. I gave it a 4 because it was a challenge in the beginning to latch onto. However I am glad I persevered. This is a “ Good read”
Such poetic, eloquent and beautiful words used to tell the story of the tragic reality that often times strength is sewn from long planted familial pain. Memphis was described beautifully and truthfully. A city full of soul off the great Mississippi River, like the North Family, trying still to make it through a history of both vibrance and struggle.
Story was good. However the constant going back and forth in time was annoying. I had to bookmark the family tree page and keep referring to it. There were some unbelievable parts as well...one how did Myron build this house by himself? 2. What mom would move her daughter in with her the kid who raped her? 3. That august would just throw up her hands when Derrick started with the gangs. 4 that Joan would go visit Derrick and send him pictures. 5. How old is Ms dawn??? I liked the writing style so I may read another book by this author.
This book starts a little too dramatically for me, but it calms down, and ends up being a really good read.Lovely words , very sincere and deep characters. I really enjoyed ,t
This is a good book. We read it in book club and all 6 of us enjoyed it. The characters were interesting & well-developed with my favs being Joan & Mya. The story was well written & held our interest. We had a good time discussing the book. Highly recommend.
