If William Faulkner and Toni Morrison had a literary love child, it might be Jesmyn Ward. Born in poverty in the rural Mississippi town of DeLisle (current population 1712), Ward is the only African-American and the only woman to have been awarded the National Book Award twice. Her first was for 2011's Salvage the Bones, based on her experience battling the destructive ferocity of Hurricane Katrina. The second was for 2017's Sing, Unburied, Sing, a novel in three voices centred around a road trip to Mississippi's notorious Parchman Prison, one of them belonging to the ghost of an innocent young man whose violent death was covered up by the jailers' chilling omerta.
BY CHERYL PEARL SUCHER
LET US DESCEND by Jesmyn Ward (Bloomsbury, $36.99) Tamant The best book. I've mad is wear
This story is from the January 27 - February 02, 2024 edition of New Zealand Listener.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the January 27 - February 02, 2024 edition of New Zealand Listener.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
First-world problem
Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.
Applying intelligence to AI
I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.
Nazism rears its head
Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.
Staying ahead of the game
Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?
Grasping the nettle
Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.
Hangry? Eat breakfast
People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.
Chemical reaction
Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.
Me and my guitar
Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.
Time is on my side
Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?
The kids are not alright
Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.
