Men We Reaped
Layered
Emotional
Profound

Men We Reaped A Memoir

Jesmyn Ward2013
'...And then we heard the rain falling, and that was the drops of blood falling; and when we came to get the crops, it was dead men that we reaped.' Harriet TubmanIn five years, Jesmyn Ward lost five men in her life, to drugs, accidents, suicide, and the bad luck that can follow people who live in poverty, particularly black men. Dealing with these losses, one after another, made Jesmyn ask the question: why? And as she began to write about the experience of living through all the dying, she realized the truth--and it took her breath away. Her brother and her friends all died because of who they were and where they were from, because they lived with a history of racism and economic struggle that fostered drug addiction and the dissolution of family and relationships. Jesmyn says the answer was so obvious she felt stupid for not seeing it. But it nagged at her until she knew she had to write about her community, to write their stories and her own. Jesmyn grew up in poverty in rural Mississippi. She writes powerfully about the pressures this brings, on the men who can do no right and the women who stand in for family in a society where the men are often absent. She bravely tells her story, revisiting the agonizing losses of her only brother and her friends. As the sole member of her family to leave home and pursue high education, she writes about this parallel American universe with the objectivity distance provides and the intimacy of utter familiarity.
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Reviews

Photo of Sarah Erle
Sarah Erle@serle
3 stars
Dec 2, 2024

I think I listened to this at the wrong time

Photo of Rachel Kwon
Rachel Kwon@kwon
5 stars
Aug 5, 2022

Well, I guess I'm just a person who cries while reading books on the subway now. This is heartbreaking and beautifully written, and offers a glimpse into the frustration that many black Americans must feel every day.

Photo of Alisha
Alisha @theawardshow
5 stars
Jul 18, 2022

Beautifully written.

Photo of Tatum Miller
Tatum Miller@tatum
4.5 stars
Feb 26, 2022

beautiful.

+8
Photo of Leah | @LeahsLittlePleasures
Leah | @LeahsLittlePleasures@leahslittlepleasures
5 stars
Jan 18, 2022

Devastating and heartbreaking, yet beautiful and moving. A must-read!

Photo of Sam Pulliam
Sam Pulliam@dearbookshelves
5 stars
Nov 27, 2021

Powerful and heartbreaking. I love Ward's writing and respect her rawness and honesty. Important reading.

Photo of Leonor Estrela
Leonor Estrela@leonorestrela
4 stars
Nov 13, 2021

(4.5) Chorar nos últimos capítulos e agradecimentos? This is the book for it. Estou destruída.

Photo of Abby N. Lewis
Abby N. Lewis@abbynlewis
4 stars
Oct 15, 2021

Full book review available over on my blog --> https://freeairforfish.com/2021/05/10...

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Francine Corry@booknblues
5 stars
Feb 2, 2024
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Simran Kalkat@simrankalkat
4 stars
Dec 21, 2022
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Gigi V@barksandvino
3 stars
May 2, 2024
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Monicap@insult_the_glory
3 stars
Apr 29, 2024
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Lindsy Rice@lindsyrice
4 stars
Jan 12, 2024
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Cassie B@partialtruth
5 stars
Jan 1, 2024
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Kaycee@kaycee
5 stars
Oct 12, 2023
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Lisa@frowzled
4 stars
Aug 13, 2023
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claire law@clairelaw
4 stars
Jun 19, 2023
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R L@ruthie313
3 stars
Jan 1, 2023
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LA@sugarghoul
5 stars
Aug 8, 2022
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Katie Miller@phedinkus
4 stars
Jun 2, 2022
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Gabrielle Griffiths@gabri_elle
3 stars
Apr 14, 2022
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Stephanie Cox@perstephani
5 stars
Feb 22, 2022
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Naty Corbett@daddygringa
5 stars
Jan 31, 2022
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Amadea@book_wrecks
5 stars
Jan 26, 2022