The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates (#6 in 2020)
Hiram Walker was born into slavery. His mother was sold when he was young, and, years later, Hiram begins to realize that he possesses a very special gift.
I'll be honest... the first 1/3 of this book had me a little lost. It's not that I didn't understand the progression of ideas, but I wasn't finding the connection between characters. I also felt like I, personally, was not fully invested. I continued to read, however, because @greggy4realcycle spoke so highly of it and also refused to give me too many details which intrigued me.
And then... I got it.
Maybe it had previously been a blonde moment, but I felt like a point came at which all the intricacies of the story aligned. The symbolism came full circle. The word play became clear. The characters became dynamic. My mind was completely blown by the creativity and forethought behind each literary choice and my jaw just dropped.
So many great books cross our paths, but this is one that I simply cannot stop thinking about. I could tell that this was truly a work of (he)art for Coates-- one that he poured his soul into.
I took six days to read this book, which is a lot longer than it normally takes for me to get through a book. Why? It's heavy, and it's the kind of book you want to digest. Please consider this read for Black History Month as it touches on a variety of topics that hit close to home for a reader of any race: memory, power, knowledge, family, humanity, love, and remembrance. Read this book with an open mind. It's artistic, it's lyrical, and it's imaginative, and it deserves focus.
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