You will come away wiser.

Honoree Fanonne Jeffers has created a brilliant master piece in this sweeping historical fiction. It is a love song to everything Black culture and a epic in its scope. It reminded me of Marquez’s “100 Years of Solitude” but with the magical realism expressed in the emotional kaleidoscope of the Black and Native experience in America from time immemorial. You will not get through this fast. Resign yourself to be only a long spiritual journey through a family against the racially tinged struggle that is America. If you venture to read “The Love Songs…” please please please first read “The Souls of Black Folk,” “The 1619 Project,” “Caste,” and any other books you can on the unabashed history of America. You cannot truly appreciate the fiction part of this historical fiction until the gritty history is baked into your DNA. Only then will you realize how brilliantly Jeffers has weaved in multiple narratives and threads into this one tome. Through her well thought out characters we get an all too personalized retelling of our collective history as it concerns every facet of life. Those deep dives into various topics make every page a journey of historical reckoning, navigating academia and it’s rigors, love and loss, race relations, blood ties, and so much more. The bitter reality it is painted against makes the collective stories feel like our own in a laugh out loud, cry out when triggered, reflective in others kind of way. It is everyone’s story and Ailey’s at the same time. I sincerely believe W.E.B Du Bois would have been proud of Jeffers bringing his long cherished pieces into the present with what I think has to be her Magnum Opus.

Beautifully structured and elegantly written . Take your time and savor the prose.

This was a wonderful historical novel based on the actual life and times of our unfortunate and perhaps uncomfortable American history. A must read, therefore a no doubt banned, piece of literature.

Best book I’ve read this year!

All of us must read this book to understand the horrid history of the USA . The author uses the voices of resilient woman to help so understand family and commitment during such cruel times.

This narrative was exceptionally crafted, detailing both Black trauma and triumphs by exploring history on a deep level. Intertwining the lived realities of Black ancestry with the present-day, one takes a journey from the inception of colonization and the brutalities of slavery to dive into the multi-layered challenges faced by Black communities on a micro-level as equality is fought for through the centuries. This work is truly illuminating, capturing the battle for Black livelihood with education serving as a vessel to combat systemic oppression.

This book truly will stick with you forever. It ‘s notes of history, while also tying into present day story lines will have you weep, laugh and warm your heart. Beautifully written. This book should be a must read!

I am amazed of how little I knew until I read this book and am so very glad I did. Historical fiction is a wonderful way to get deeply invested in our history.

This book is nothing short of amazing—the layers of family history, strength and courage that prevailed in spite of the trauma is humbling. I found myself laughing, crying and unpacking many of the things in my life and history that I hadn’t gave voice to—This book gives VOICE to stories that are typically not told in detail, the underpinnings that you don’t understand and cannot see but are pivotal to understanding why people are who they are and act the way they do. As a black woman who hails from a South Carolina native and African lineage—it echoes the truths of my ancestors. I am so grateful that the author is a willing vessel of the divine ancestors to bring forth this important work. This book came to life—healing, inspiration, pride and self love were all things that the journey through “The Love Songs…” gifted me and my life. Powerful and timeless. I usually move on quickly to my next read, but I need a period of processing with this one. May we continue to be the best of our ancestors and triumph over all limitations and curses that they couldn’t. Keche. 🙏🏽