This is a book that I picked for Black History Month 2024 by looking at what books other black authors thought were powerful. This one stuck out to me when I saw it. And I’m so glad I picked it up! As far as non-fiction books go, it’s always nice to have one that’s got a through-story weaving it all together. What makes this book so good is that it has three through-stories of people that, while they never meet, the themes and overall story connects them in ways that the individuals in question never could have anticipated. If you want a great historical read, this is fantastic!
The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration
Author: Isabel Wilkerson
Pages: 622
Format: Paperback
Published: September 7, 2010
Publisher: Vintage
View on Goodreads
Date Completed: March 2, 2024
My rating: 
Thoughts
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Isabel Wilkerson masterfully weaves together the stories of three individuals as they fled the South to northern and western cities in the United States. These three stories mirror those of the nearly 6 million black citizens between 1915 and 1970.
Ida Mae Brandon Gladney’s story takes her from Mississippi in late 1930s to Chicago, IL.
George Swanson Starling’s story takes him from Florida in the early 1930s to New York City.
Robert Joseph Pershing Foster’s story takes him from Louisiana in the 1950s to Los Angeles.
All three of the stories show what it took for people to finally decide that enough was enough in the Jim Crow south. It was time to define their own lives. They all faced many hurdles; like Foster discovering that racism wasn’t confined to the South, but could be found even in places like Las Vegas, NV. But these people were bound and determined to make new lives for themselves and for their families.
Most chose where to go based on who they knew in which cities. They weren’t expecting, nor did they get, any handouts. They had to work for these new lives and to simple civil liberties that were supposed to be the inalienable rights afforded to all American citizens.
Conclusion
The Great Migration changed the face of the United States and this book does a spectacular job of telling the stories of that change. Any history buff or student of American history is doing themselves a disservice if they don’t read this book. It is engaging and insightful and I couldn’t recommend it highly enough. Easy 5 stars from me on this one.
