This is not an easy read by any means. In addition to language that was used during the time of writing and the dialogue that is written completely in dialect, this book takes a lot of brain power, but it’s an important read.
Janie Crawford is a young teenager who lives with her grandmother, Nanny. Nanny wants to marry Janie off as soon as possible so when Janie is 16, Nanny finds an older farmer, Logan, and insists he marry Janie. Janie’s life with Logan is miserable, so when a stranger starts flirting with Janie, she flirts back and eventually runs off with him. Joe moves Janie to Eatonville (in Central Florida about 26 minutes outside of Disney World) and she soon discovers he’s not much better than Logan. After 2 decades she has finally had enough and leaves, having met yet a third man who goes by the name Tea Cake. In Tea Cake, Janie has finally found her true love and is happy to finally be with someone who loves her for her.
Zora Neale Hurston created an amazing character with Janie Crawford. She refused to stick to social conventions for both females and African Americans and Janie not only stood up for herself, but spoke her mind about all sorts of topics. In doing this, Ms. Hurston received a lot of backlash and the book was on a banned book list for a bit.
I really enjoyed the story. Ultimately it’s a story of loving yourself and not being afraid to go after what or who you want. That being said, it took so much mental power for me to decipher the dialogue. Don’t get me wrong, the dialect used is very much needed and important. The characters are all descendants of slaves and are in the south, with most of the book taking place in Florida. Had Ms. Hurston not written it in the dialect used at that time and in that place the book wouldn’t be nearly as powerful. I think perhaps this is a book better listened to since the dialogue would flow better than stumbling over words.