Book Blog #176: Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

Title: Their Eyes Were Watching God
Author: Zora Neale Hurston
# of Pages: 219 (paperback)
Genre: Fiction, Classic, African American
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Synopsis: Told in the captivating voice of a woman who refuses to live in sorrow, bitterness, fear, or foolish romantic dreams, it is the story of fair-skinned, fiercely independent Janie Crawford, and her evolving selfhood through three marriages and a life marked by poverty, trials, and purpose.
Review: Although it has been a couple of weeks since I finished the book, I will do my best to review it.

There are some really great messages about love, relationships, and nonconformity. Hurston's attention to detail - from the game of checkers to the carefully selected names - was admirable.

However, I was not enthralled by the story line. Most of Janie's life is unimpressive as she is continuously influenced by those around her. While I understand that this is part of her journey to finding her identity, the resolution of her conflict through her third marriage is not a satisfactory ending. Her continuous dependence on men through all of her marriages defeats the sense of feminism that the story was trying to develop.

This book did not meet my expectations and is among the less impressive classics I have read in my life time. While Their Eyes Were Watching God was decent overall, I would not recommend it.

Book Blog #63: Black Boy by Richard Wright

Title: Black Boy
Author: Richard Wright
# of Pages: 448 (paperback)
Genre: Classics, African American Literature, Autobiography
Rating:★★★★★
Synopsis: Richard Wright grew up in the woods of Mississippi amid poverty, hunger, fear, and hatred. He lied, stole, and raged at those around him; at six he was a "drunkard," hanging about in taverns. Surly, brutal, cold, suspicious, and self-pitying, he was surrounded on one side by whites who were either indifferent to him, pitying, or cruel, and on the other by blacks who resented anyone trying to rise above the common lot.

Review: I don't like nonfiction. I've only read a handful of autobiographies in my life. Yet I have to say that this book is one of my favorites.

I know what some of you are thinking; what can possibly be interesting about a guy talking about himself. Now, if you AREN'T thinking that, I completely understand. You have already discover the beauty of an autobiography. However, if you ARE thinking that, then let me tell you; when your reading Black Boy, you forget that you're reading an autobiography. Sometimes there are scenes that seem too cruel to be true, but it happened. It's an amazing experience.

Throughout the book, however, I couldn't help but wonder who was in the right and who was in the wrong. Since this book is written from Wright's eyes, you don't really know if he's as good of a person as he seems to be in the book. However, he seems to tell the reader both sides of his life; how he wants to be able to write, but also has sold tickets illegally. This makes me trust that he's is telling his story as truthfully as he could.

There was one quote in this book on page 76 that I really liked:

"'It's a bird,' I said. The crowd laughed. 'That's a plane, boy,' a man said...'Boy, remember this,' he said. 'You're seeing man fly'"

Do you see the resemblance to the Superman quote? It's a bird! It's a plane! It's SUPERMAN!!! I loved that. There were many other quotes that I really, really liked, but don't have time to share with you right now. Maybe next time.

If you haven't read this book yet, don't be shy. At the very least, read just part 1. Part 2 was slightly less interesting because it gets into politics, but it was interesting nonetheless. Recommended!!!