The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration
by Isabel Wilkerson
First Published: 2010
10 Copies & Reading Guide
In this epic, beautifully written masterwork, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Isabel Wilkerson chronicles one of the great untold stories of American history: the decades-long migration of black citizens who fled the South for northern and western cities, in search of a better life. From 1915 to 1970, this exodus of almost six million people changed the face of America. Wilkerson compares this epic migration to the migrations of other peoples in history. She interviewed more than a thousand people, and gained access to new data and official records, to write this definitive and vividly dramatic account of how these American journeys unfolded, altering our cities, our country, and ourselves.
Reading Guide:
LitLovers – Includes Author Info, Book Reviews, and Discussion Questions
Reviews:
The New York Times – “Freedom Trains” by David Oshinsky and “The Lives Gained by Fleeing Jim Crow” by Janet Maslin
AARP The Magazine – “Review” by Charles Cobb Jr
Los Angeles Times – “Book Review” by Lynell George
The Wall Street Journal – “The Great Northern Migration” by John Stauffer
The New Yorker – “The Uprooted” by Jill Lepore
On the Web:
Isabel Wilkerson’s Website - http://isabelwilkerson.com
The New York Times – “A Writer’s Long Journey to Trace the Great Migration” by Charles McGrath
NPR: Fresh Air from WHYY – “Great Migration: The African-American Exodus North“
TIME – “Q&A: Isabel Wilkerson on Black America’s Immigration Story” by Steven Gray
C-SPAN – “Q&A with Isabel Wilkerson” [Video]
If you enjoyed The Warmth of Other Suns, you might like:
Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
Jazz by Toni Morrison
Enrique’s Journey by Sonia Nazario
The Grace of Silence by Michele Norris
