Trip To The Strand

Yesterday, my wife, daughter, and I tool a day trip to Manhattan. While there we stopped at the strand bookstore where I bought a copy of Ours by Phillip B. Williams.

The first line of the book, that I copied here, has an interesting transition, at least in my opinion. It begins with an image of a violent death and blood. After that, the narrator introduces the fictional town of Ours and a fearsome and mysterious woman. I have read the first 40 pages and Williams' book reminds me of two other recent books: The Prophets by Robert Jones, Jr. and The Love Songs of W.E.B. DuBois by Honoree Fannone Jeffers. All three are books that dive deep into the history of the African-American experience and slavery in the United States, and all three are written in a sublime poetic language.