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NAMED A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK IN ESSENCE MAGAZINE, THE MILLIONS AND BOOKISH
"Don't Cry for Me is a perfect song."—Jesmyn Ward
A Black father makes amends with his gay son through letters written on his deathbed in this wise and penetrating novel of empathy and forgiveness, for fans of Ta-Nehisi Coates, Robert Jones Jr. and Alice Walker
As Jacob lies dying, he begins to write a letter to his only son, Isaac. They have not met or spoken in many years, and there are things that Isaac must know. Stories about his ancestral legacy in rural Arkansas that extend back to slavery. Secrets from Jacob's tumultuous relationship with Isaac's mother and the shame he carries from the dissolution of their family. Tragedies that informed Jacob's role as a father and his reaction to Isaac's being gay.
But most of all, Jacob must share with Isaac the unspoken truths that reside in his heart. He must give voice to the trauma that Isaac has inherited. And he must create a space for the two to find peace.
With piercing insight and profound empathy, acclaimed author Daniel Black illuminates the lived experiences of Black fathers and queer sons, offering an authentic and ultimately hopeful portrait of reckoning and reconciliation. Spare as it is sweeping, poetic as it is compulsively readable, Don't Cry for Me is a monumental novel about one family grappling with love's hard edges and the unexpected places where hope and healing take flight.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
February 1, 2022 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9781488213175
- File size: 215071 KB
- Duration: 07:28:03
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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Author Daniel Black delivers his novel with such poignancy that his narration becomes an act of shape-shifting. He fully sinks into the character of Jacob, an African-American man on his deathbed who is reckoning with his past. Longing for reconciliation, Jacob writes a series of letters to his estranged gay son. He shares stories of his childhood, explains the motivations behind his actions, and owns up to his mistakes. As Black portrays Jacob, his low voice carries within it a lifetime of stories, regrets, triumphs, and tragedies. His narration fluctuates in tone and speed as Jacob moves through powerful emotions. While often devastating, this audiobook is ultimately a messily redemptive story about Black fatherhood, the ghosts of American history, and forgiveness. L.S. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine -
June 1, 2022
Black's (The Sacred Place) epistolary novel chronicles a dying father's sorrow over a lifetime of failing his gay son, Isaac. Sixty-two-year-old Jacob Swinton bares his soul in this painful recounting of his upbringing and his reasons for treating Isaac as he did. As he states, this is a "record of a poor Black father's appeal...what any dying daddy might say to his son." Jacob is unsparing in his account, brutally revealing how ashamed he was that Isaac wanted to play with dolls and that he played the titular role in the musical Annie. Despite Isaac's talents, Jacob baldly states, "You weren't the son I wanted." This novel is not easy and does not resolve into pat resolutions, but is an initial step of reaching out for forgiveness, even when time has run out. Black narrates his own novel, and although his narration is sometimes a little stilted, this roughness adds an unparalleled note of authenticity and truth. Black simply becomes Jacob and delivers a transparent and piercingly real performance. VERDICT A transformative, gut-punch of a story, sensitively and skillfully told. Highly recommended for all collections.--Sarah Hashimoto
Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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