The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration in Reading with Style

Apr 02, 2013 Connie G rated it it was amazing

Shelves: history, african-american-experience, southern-lit, non-fiction, bnc-group-read

Isabel Wilkerson wrote a compelling story of the Great Migration of the black people from the South to the cities of the North and West from 1915 to 1970. She interviewed over a thousand people, zooming in on three individuals whose experiences represent the discrimination, problems, hopes, and dreams of over six million migrants. She added historical facts about the horrific Jim Crow laws, educational inequality, the difficulty of migration, labor needs during the world wars, housing shortages, ...more

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Sep 25, 2018 Megan added it

Shelves: a-republic-if-you-can-keep-it, noteworthy-reads-2018, non-fiction

This is an impressive work of history written for a general audience. Wilkerson brought together emotionally engaging personal narratives, sociological background (research done in-era and afterward), and big-picture history, and she intertwined these pieces very elegantly. (In particular, since I read this book in scattered chunks, I really liked that she did SO MUCH sign-posting, so I always knew the who, when, and where. While I think other readers could be irritated by how much repetition an This is an impressive work of history written for a general audience. Wilkerson brought together emotionally engaging personal narratives, sociological background (research done in-era and afterward), and big-picture history, and she intertwined these pieces very elegantly. (In particular, since I read this book in scattered chunks, I really liked that she did SO MUCH sign-posting, so I always knew the who, when, and where. While I think other readers could be irritated by how much repetition and how many reminders Wilkerson incorporated into her text, I appreciated it greatly.)

I have an interest in the history and politics of racial relations in America, and despite knowing a lot about this era, I still had a lot to learn from this book. Particularly, I learned more than the obvious assumptions about migration and migration patterns during this extended period of time, and also some about the very specifics of it: I smiled when learning about migrants mishearing "Newark" as "New York" and getting off the train too early but deciding to stay. And I'd never fully comprehended the enormity of the Great Migration, especially considering how individually-focused and dynamic the process of this extensive population shift was: by the end, "nearly half of all black Americans--some forty-seven percent--would be living outside the South, compared to ten percent when the Migration began."

At the same time, I still think this would be a great read for people who have less of a background in this topic and who might be curious about how the black population of the United States migrated--how they made their choices of how to live and when to move--during the Jim Crow era and beyond. It'd also be of interest for people wondering about modern American cities and their evolution, particularly from a demographic standpoint. The way Wilkerson uses personal stories, incorporates primary sources and contemporary research, and draws out the themes is extremely engaging. I can see why this book is so lauded. ...more

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Feb 25, 2014 Kate S rated it really liked it

Shelves: non-fiction, 2015, brighid

This was an interesting read about a little known phenomenon in the history of my country. I am glad I was exposed to this book and this information.

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Jun 17, 2017 Maia rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2017

ok, it's over-written in that there are long long sections of tell not show where the author repeats the same thing over and over 'george was watching history happening' several times in two paragraphs and repeated several places in book, for instance. It's not the neat elegant history i was expecting. Her writing is beautiful and you do get used to it, stop calling for an editor. That apart, there's no problems. You all know why you should read this. The too-brief section outlining how this cau ...more

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Apr 05, 2021 Bucket rated it it was amazing

Shelves: life-and-death, reviewed, culture, american-dream, non-fiction, history, race, bio-auto-bio, fate-chance, immigration

What a feat! Wilkerson did three huge research projects to write this history, and it shows. She gives us the stories of three fascinating people who were part of the great migration, and she also contextualizes them very thoroughly.

She debunks and clarifies many aspects of the Migration (how long it really lasted, the education levels and familial make-ups of those who migrated, etc) and leaves us with a clear picture of how it unfolded throughout the 20th century. Meanwhile, she writes the bi ...more

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Jun 22, 2021 Emily rated it it was amazing

Isabel Wilkerson has done extensive research into what is known as The Great Migration, during which Black people living in the American South moved North or West seeking better opportunities and/or less persecution. Wilkerson dives extensively into the stories of three people, representing typical experiences by those who migrated. Ida Mae Gladney follows her husband north to Chicago and Milwaukee; George Starling leaves for New York, but also spends most of his career as a porter traveling the Isabel Wilkerson has done extensive research into what is known as The Great Migration, during which Black people living in the American South moved North or West seeking better opportunities and/or less persecution. Wilkerson dives extensively into the stories of three people, representing typical experiences by those who migrated. Ida Mae Gladney follows her husband north to Chicago and Milwaukee; George Starling leaves for New York, but also spends most of his career as a porter traveling the North-South train route and thereby encountering other migrants and keeping a tenuous connection to relatives in the South, and Robert Pershing follows his dream of becoming a well-respected doctor in California. Interspersed amongst these narratives, which involve interviews with these individuals as well as friends and family and covering decades of their lives, are shorter essays and vignettes about other migrants and the general history and zeitgeist of the time.
The book is long, but a relatively quick read as the reader is drawn into the stories of these individuals and others. The factual and historical portions of the book are well written, not a slog, and don't really interrupt the flow of the book. This is an information-dense book, but for a general audience as opposed to academics.
I had the good fortune to read this for my book club which prompted some great discussions about the treatment of Black Americans by racist white people as well as people who were probably not really racist themselves, but did not feel they could be openly supportive of Black people's plight for fear of endangering themselves or their livelihoods. It is also stunning, but not necessarily surprising to those who have done some reading on the topic, of how the government, law enforcement, and local neighborhood groups did everything in their power to vilify, demonize, exclude and marginalize newly freed Black Americans even (!) in the "liberal" North and West.
I very much recommend this book. ...more

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Jul 06, 2021 Susan rated it it was amazing

Shelves: nonfiction-biography, world-lit-na-usa, literary-awards, literature-american, audible, southern, nonfiction-history, cultural-african-american, 2021

Impressive amounts of research in The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration. Oral histories with a few individuals who had, or their parents had, lived as slaves and then in the post-war South. The Great Migration from the viewpoint of a person of color versus an immigrant, a sharecropper, a farmer. Surprisingly, I would read this again. Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, the book I had intended to read, was set aside after so many fellow readers recommended that ...more

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Dec 18, 2014 Cindie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: winter-src-2014-15

read like an Alice Munro short story collection, which is a high compliment. Gave me a deeper appreciation, not just on the past, but the current state of major northern cities (and small southern towns)...

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