Dust Tracks on a Road, Zora Neale Hurston, J B Lippincott, 1942, 308 pp
This was my second time reading the incredible Zora Neale Hurston's autobiography. I first read it in 2003 as part of the 1942 list for My Big Fat Reading Project. This time I read it for a reading group. I loved it both times.
Hurston was at the height of her career in 1942. She had published several novels including Their Eyes Were Watching God and she was riding high as one of the few female authors among the Harlem Renaissance phenomenon. Little did she know that her life was about to change and the world was going to leave her in the dust tracks. It was not until Alice Walker resurrected her writing in 1975 that she started to be read again.
Zora Neale Hurston had a burning desire for story. She read her way out of poverty and seemed to find people who wanted to help her along all through her teenage and adult years. She never rejected that help whether it came from Black or white people, but made the most of it.
Her life was not easy but her spirit was one of tremendous buoyancy, allowing her to bounce back, reinvent, find friends and never dwell on her troubles. This comes across in her writing which is insouciant and rambunctious. My troubles have been nothing in comparison but I have been blessed with that trait of bouncing back, so I felt a kinship with this woman throughout both readings.
I suppose due in part to the increased awareness and discussion about racism still being such a trouble in our country, reading the book this time I noticed her views on all that even more. Those views were so balanced with heart and humor. I understood how much her studies, her travels and her experiences contributed to her understanding of people in general.
If you have never read Dust Tracks on a Road, I recommend it. If you have, let me know how you felt about it. The Bookie Babes all felt positive towards it. Somehow our deep and long discussion did not leave us feeling discouraged or helpless but in a sort of awe about human beings. Seventy-seven years later Zora Neale Hurston reached through time and did that to us.
I like that cover - Cheers
ReplyDeletePS no I haven't lost a child but am a cancer survivor - and kept meeting others all the time....
I think that is the original cover design. Thanks for answering my question. I get it! I am glad you survived!
DeleteNicely done. Remind me why her life changed after 1942. Was it the times or did something happen to her? I have only read one of hers so I should check out Dust Tracks.
ReplyDeleteThanks. From what I understand she fell out of favor as the civil rights movement got more divided and more violent. She was not a believer in hating whites. By the 1950s she was back in Florida and just scraping by until she had a stroke.
DeleteI have only read Their Eyes Were Watching God. I found that book to be extraordinary. This also sounds well worth reading. I should give it a try soon. Zurston’s story sounds very inspiring.
ReplyDeleteThis one is extraordinary also. I love the way she writes.
DeleteWonderful review! This sounds good. It's going on my TBR for sure!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I hope you enjoy it when you get to it.
DeleteShe was a marvelous writer and a leader in so many ways. I think she always stayed true to herself and her view of the world and how it should be. People who do that often pay a price and I believe she did. But her writing endures.
ReplyDeleteYou have summarized it exactly, Dorothy!
Deletei didn't pay enough attention to all the social events when i was young, but i remember reading about Ms. Hurston... she was quite remarkable; i'll keep her name in mind when the next book sale comes up...
ReplyDeleteI did not pay enough attention either which is why I am reading all these books now.
DeleteI will be adding this book title to me ever growing reading wishlist. Nice review.
ReplyDeleteThank you Lisa. Enjoy it when you can.
DeleteYour post has given me an idea for yet another short reading project. A recent list recommended the one book people living in each state should read and Their Eyes Were Watching God was the FL pick. The audio version, narrated by Ruby Dee, was a favorite several years ago. I'd planned to reread it, but will now follow up with Dust Tracks on a Road.
ReplyDeleteI guarantee you will love it!
DeleteOooooh man, I remember reading Their Eyes Were Watching God in sophomore AP Lit. It has stayed with me forever, though I am not sure to this day if I love it or hate it! I am definitely interested in this book, thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteTheir Eyes Were Watching God hit me hard as well. Reading her autobiography I could see where she got that story.
Delete