Like many books that I pick up, An American Marriage by Tayari Jones ended up on my to-read list after I heard a story on NPR. Interviewed by Karen Grigsby-Bates last February, Jones said she had done a lot of research on criminal justice and race to prepare to write a book but that nothing was clicking until she went home to visit her mom over the holidays and overheard a conversation in an Atlanta mall: JONES: The woman was beautifully dressed, and the young man, he […]
Marriage is, as she says, a peculiar institution
I had this title on my radar but didn’t sit down to read it until it became this month’s pick for my book club. My book club consists of women ranging in age from 50-something to late 20’s. Four of us are married, 3 of us have children, 1 is pregnant with her first child , one is recently engaged and one is single after a decade long relationship. Each of us will be coming at this from different vantage points in terms of marriage […]
None of This is Fair
I needed an Oprah’s Book Club book for the Book Riot Read Harder challenge and this one took place in Atlanta so it seemed like a good choice. The novel deals with the false imprisonment of a successful black man and its after effects on him, his wife and his marriage. While this seems especially relevant in today’s context, I was surprised to realize the novel takes in the early to mid 2000’s rather than current day. Ray Jr. grew up in small town Louisiana; […]
A marriage is more than your heart, it’s your life. And we are not sharing ours.
I’m claiming my “I’ve been reading Tayari Jones for years” privilege here! So take that Oprah! I think this is likely her best book in the combination of importance, story and execution, and audience concern. Leaving Atlanta is very good, but it’s kind of devastating in a way that leaves you pretty raw and cut open by the end. Silver Sparrow and The Unnaming are both very good, but less so than this one. There’s a very real and very relevant story here. It’s that combination that makes it […]