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This thread is open to discuss Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward.



Synopsis
An intimate portrait of a family and an epic tale of hope and struggle, Sing, Unburied, Sing examines the ugly truths at the heart of the American story and the power � and limitations � of family bonds.

Jojo is thirteen years old and trying to understand what it means to be a man. His mother, Leonie, is in constant conflict with herself and those around her. She is black and her children’s father is white. Embattled in ways that reflect the brutal reality of her circumstances, she wants to be a better mother, but can’t put her children above her own needs, especially her drug use.

When the children’s father is released from prison, Leonie packs her kids and a friend into her car and drives north to the heart of Mississippi and Parchman Farm, the State Penitentiary. At Parchman, there is another boy, the ghost of a dead inmate who carries all of the ugly history of the South with him in his wandering. He too has something to teach Jojo about fathers and sons, about legacies, about violence, about love.

Rich with Ward’s distinctive, lyrical language, Sing, Unburied, Sing brings the archetypal road novel into rural twenty-first century America. It is a majestic new work from an extraordinary and singular author.

ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý~ Buddy Style Reads ~
    Three Ways to Enjoy a Book!

At NRBC we use three styles of buddy reads. These will be indicated in the thread title as “Buddy Read�, “Relaxed Buddy Read� or “Informal Buddy Read�.

A “Buddy Read� has a discussion leader and a reading date is set to start the book. A reading schedule is posted prior to the start date and discussion questions are posted each day regarding that section of the book. More information about these types of reads is below. An example is here, showing a reading schedule here.

A “Relaxed Buddy Read� is similar to our usual “buddy reads� except there are less questions and break points. For example, a book may be split into three sections and those reading the book should pause at the end of the section to answer some discussion questions, make comments, or ask their own questions to other readers. An example is here.

An “Informal Buddy Read� doesn’t have a discussion leader and participants are asked to consider some generic questions when making comments about the book. An example is here.

A “Read and Watch Buddy Read� may be set up as any of the above, but we will also watch the movie or T.V. series - or even go to a play! - and make comparisons, discussing what has been left out or changed as well as the actors and actresses. There is a long debate of what one should do first: read the books or watch the movie? We usually read first, but it isn’t essential. Also, if you would like to join in, but don’t want to watch the movie, show, or play, but only read the books, that is fine, too. An example is here.


MORE UNDER SPOILER
(view spoiler)[

“Buddy Reads� (“BRs�) include:

� A reading schedule which can range from 50, 75, to 100 or so pages a day.

� Discussion questions posted daily by moderators and occasionally group members
   who help one of us out. If you want to be a Discussion Leader, let us know.

� If the book is really long, we'll plan a break day.

� Members do NOT have to answer every question, they are meant to stimulate
   conversations about the books AND allow us to glance back upon them when the
   sequels come out. This helps us to remember what exactly happened in the previous
ÌýÌýÌý²ú´Ç´Ç°ì.

� We find the buddy style of reading to be more fun than just posting one or two
   sentences about a book. We feel this is what distinguishes us as being a ‘book club�
   rather than just another GoodReads ‘group.�

� If you can NOT start the book on time, feel free to join in at a later date. They are
   set up to make it easy to do so.

� Moderators are people too, so occasionally we get sick, have to work late at our real
   jobs, or have something that keeps us from writing the questions. Please forgive us;
   we're only human and we don't get any compensation for what we do--not even
   free books!

� Discussions and questions are set up to make you think, analyze, and see things you,
   or even we, may have missed. Feel free to add your own thoughts at any time, if you
   think we've missed something.

� If you've read the book, feel free to let us know what you thought about the book.
   You can do so at the end of the buddy read, or, if you can't wait, add spoiler tags
   before you comment like:

   ****BEWARE! SPOILER FOR THE END OF THE BOOK****

   Or insert a (view spoiler)[spoiler (hide spoiler)]. If you do NOT know how to do so, just check out our
   GoodReads 101 explanation on how to Insert a Spoiler.

� If you are looking for a reading buddy, post an inquiry in our Buddy read requests thread. Use that thread, if you want to have a repeat read of a BOM
    or buddy read, too.

� Have fun! We always do when more than one person joins in. And we look less silly
   if someone else discusses a book with us. (hide spoiler)]

res

I'll be started this by Monday!

This one just came in from the library today, so I plan to start this as I clean the house :)

Through Ch. 2 - so far I love the way this is written and the narrators are great. The sense of place is thick, and leaves me feeling off kilter, which is a part of the beauty of the writing .

Jojo-(view spoiler)[I love opening with this perspective and so much information is packed into this first chapter. Just seeing Jojo's interactions and thoughts make me connect and feel protective of him. So protective that I'm anxious about the rest of the story and really hoping nothing bad happens. (hide spoiler)]

Leonie-(view spoiler)[From Jojo's chapter, I had no positive thoughts regarding Leonie and I'm trying to be more open with empathy in this chapter for her, but it's still hard. I can understand that there is heartache associated with Given, but her insecurity and need to not be lonely still isn't sitting well with me in regards to her parenting. (hide spoiler)]

Okay for real for real starting this evening.

I ended up finishing it which is why I suck at buddy reads. Anyway...

Overall I thought it was good. I had a bit of trouble with the writing itself. It seemed kind of off to me that Jojo would speak the way that he did but think in full complete sentences with big words I had to look up.

Probably best to avoid these spoilers until you have finished the book.

(view spoiler)[ Leonie wins for worst mother in the world. Michael was clearly the most important thing in the world to her, so much so that she willingly swallowed a boatload of meth just so the cops wouldn't bust them. She basically ignored Kayla when she was sick and I worried for her the entire story. If it weren't for Pop and Mam, I'm not sure where those kids would have ended up.

I also had some trouble with following the ghosts but I got there eventually. (hide spoiler)]

Snowtulip wrote: "Through Ch. 2 - so far I love the way this is written and the narrators are great. The sense of place is thick, and leaves me feeling off kilter, which is a part of the beauty of the writing .

Joj..."

I also felt the same about both these characters. We'll talk more when you're done.

hello! just spotted this BR thread.... I've wanted to read Sing, Unburied Sing for a while, so this is a good prompt, though it'll be a couple of days I think, before I'm chatting - will you come back?

Of course I will.

My copy was long over due; unfortunately I had to return before reading it.

Laura wrote: "My copy was long over due; unfortunately I had to return before reading it."

Oh no, I hate when that happens!

Snowtulip wrote: "Laura wrote: "My copy was long over due; unfortunately I had to return before reading it."

Oh no, I hate when that happens!"

Yup, me too! I have a small problem of over committing to too many buddy reads and not being able to keep up:-(

Stacie wrote: "I ended up finishing it which is why I suck at buddy reads. Anyway...

Overall I thought it was good. I had a bit of trouble with the writing itself. It seemed kind of off to me that Jojo would spe..."

So agree with you on Leonie! Me and her just aren't going to be BFFs!

Finished!

(view spoiler)[I really liked the writing and the story for the first part of the book. I've never been to the south and it always seems like a different world to me, so I appreciated how the writer captured that sensory and cultural/social experience.

Once the ghosts (Richie and Given) started receiving more page time, the book took a turn for me, it became to disjointed for me. Their stories were heartbreaking, but it just threw me out of the story...

The kids broke my heart, dealing with the abuse and self centered parents always leaves me on edge. (hide spoiler)]

Snowtulip

(view spoiler)[ When the ghosts started in, I was confused. At first I thought Leonie was high and seeing things but then figured it out. The part with Richie when the cops pulled them over and Jojo was talking about the boy in the car, I got confused again.

I will say the ending with Kayla making the ghosts go away was a nice touch but overall, it was confusing and took away from the story itself.
(hide spoiler)]

Late to the party, as usual! I've been wanting to read this book for quite awhile now. Let me just say that I was hooked from the very beginning!

Jojo seems like such a good boy! He's already learned some of life's hard lessons at an early age. There seems to be a sense of magic already.... Can't wait to learn more!