I’m giving this book 5 stars because it does all of the things an epic book should: teach you something new, give you a new perspective on an important topic, make you think critically and introspectively about society and life, and lead you to connect with the stories and people in the book.

This book should be required reading for high school or college students. I didn’t even know that the Great Migration was a real “thing” and I learned so much about our country’s history and how it’s geography was shaped in the last century. This book has sparked an interest in me to learn and read more about this time period and the people who made brave and life changining decisions to leave their only homes and way of life to start a new life in the unknown North. While reading, I felt shame and guilt about my own privilege, shock that I didn’t know about so much of our recent history, and pride and empathy for the 3 protagonists.

Isabel Wilkerson blends the narrative of three people: Ida Mae, George, and Robert, with historical context well. She includes quotes from poetry and the works of Richard Wright, James Baldwin, and others which start each new chapter and section beautifully. My own critique is that this book is a bit long and at times repetitive and lags around the 2/3 point but picks up again and ends with a flourish.

How did I not know about this book before, or know much about the Great Migration??!!?