Barnes & NobleTheir Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

Stunning Beauty and Terrifying Times

I don't know why I have never read Their Eyes Were Watching God. I'm not sure what made me pick up the book this time but I'll be forever grateful to the One who watches over us for the grace that Zola Neale Hurston brought into my life today. I cannot seriously critically review this book; those far more qualified than I, have been down that road and have done an admirable job. I can only speak from my reader's heart. I found it extraordinary to find a story written that includes some of the most poetic prose I've ever seen, mixed with the dialogue of first-generation freed slaves. One is elevated, floating in the air. The other is raw, newly unconstrained, and trying out its limits. Hurston continues to place her characters in unusual dichotomies. Rich and miserable. Poor and deliriously happy. She seems to use her writing to try to understand what makes the world around her tick. Quite quickly, I was emotionally drawn into the story and stayed completely invested until the last word. What a masterpiece from such a young woman in the 1930s, and how tragic that, because she was African American, she received no recognition until after she died in the 1960s. If you haven't already read this book, you must put it on your TBR list. It is a foray into a different world, narrated by unfamiliar voices. It is stunningly beautiful and tragically ugly. It is a must-read book.