Don't Cry for Me
Books | Fiction / African American & Black / Historical
4.5
(244)
Daniel Black
Don't miss Daniel Black's next novel Isaac's Song coming January 2025*From the Georgia Author of the Year Award Winner*NAMED A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK IN ESSENCE MAGAZINE, THE MILLIONS AND BOOKISH"Don't Cry for Me is a perfect song."—Jesmyn WardA 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 WalkerAs 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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More Details:
Author
Daniel Black
Pages
304
Publisher
Harlequin
Published Date
2022-02-01
ISBN
0369718801 9780369718808
Community ReviewsSee all
"We’re not even halfway through the year, but I’m calling it now…this is the best book I’ve read in 2022. ❤️"
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Becca Sangwin
"One of the most emotionally impactful novels that I have read. Told in a series of reflective letters from a dying father to his estranged son, we truly see and feel a heart, soul, and history laid bare. Generational trauma, toxic masculinity, familial bonds, and racial and sexual identity are examined in a voice so raw and real that it echoes long after the novel’s conclusion. Absolutely devastating, but such an important story, that needs to be told, and needs to be heard."
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Emily
"This book almost moved me to tears. We don’t stop to consider what makes our parents who they are while expecting their full acceptance of us completely. This made me pause and consider those things in depth. It’s worth a read or a listen if you have the time."
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Dee Hunter
"Black deftly handles so many themes in the highly moving novel."
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Ricki Marking-Camuto
"Don’t cry over spilled MILF
Laura Pavlov Willow aster"
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lisa diehl
"An outstanding read. On of my top 3 favorite books I've read in 2022."
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Todd
"Amazing book! I was in tears at the last page. Just read it read it read it."
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Chastidy Cuevas
"Such a beautiful read! The story is told through letters from a dying father to his gay son. It takes you on the father's life journey and his struggles being a father to a son he is unable to understand and the lessons he learned along the way perhaps a little too late. I loved this book so much! I recommend for anyone who wants to read a book that will pull on your heart strings. "
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Cheyenne Santana
"First book that made me cry 😢 It’s a book told in letters from a dying black man to his gay son."
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Payton
"This was so beautiful! And beautifully written. It was my pride month read . I’d read it again "
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Christina Lanette
