This book, I think, gives some insight into three important historical figures. The first, obviously, is Oluale Kossula/Cudjo Lewis one of the last slaves brought to the US. This is primarily his story and I'm glad I read it. I hope it becomes required reading in high schools. The second is Zora's. Hurston's actual interviews with Kossula are a small part of this book because there's lots of additional footnotes and commentaries about the text. I'd read some of Hurston's fiction, but this is the first bit of her ethnographic work I've read and the commentary about how she worked and her interests was really informative. That ties in with the third major person - Alice Walker. At the very end, there's a piece by Walker talking about her search for Zora and Zora's grave. It emphasizes both the injustice of the way Hurston died and was forgotten and the difficulty of Walker's work/the significance of her achievements in bringing Zora back. If you're trying to read more nonfiction, read this book.