One of Buzzfeed's 24 New Books We Couldnât Put Down
âOne of the smartest young writers of her generation.ââBook Riot
From the acclaimed cultural critic and New York Times bestselling author of This Will Be My Undoingâa writer whom Roxane Gay has hailed as âa force to be reckoned withââcomes this powerful story of her journey to understand her northern and southern roots, the Great Migration, and the displacement of black people across America.
Between 1916 and 1970, six million black Americans left their rural homes in the South for jobs in cities in the North, West, and Midwest in a movement known as The Great Migration. But while this event transformed the complexion of America and provided black people with new economic opportunities, it also disconnected them from their roots, their land, and their sense of identity, argues Morgan Jerkins. In this fascinating and deeply personal exploration, she recreates her ancestorsâ journeys across America, following the migratory routes they took from Georgia and South Carolina to Louisiana, Oklahoma, and California.
Following in their footsteps, Jerkins seeks to understand not only her own past, but the lineage of an entire group of people who have been displaced, disenfranchised, and disrespected throughout our history. Through interviews and hundreds of pages of transcription, Jerkins braids the loose threads of her familyâs oral histories, which she was able to trace back 300 years, with the insights and recollections of black people she met along the wayâthe tissue of black myths, customs, and blood that connect the bones of American history.
Incisive and illuminating, Wandering in Strange Lands is a timely and enthralling look at Americaâs past and present, one familyâs legacy, and a young black womanâs life, filtered through her sharp and curious eyes.