As the twelve days that comprise the novel's framework yield to the final day and Hurricane Katrina, the unforgettable family at the novel's heart-motherless children sacrificing for each other as they can, protecting and nurturing where love is scarce-pulls itself up to struggle for another day. Meanwhile brothers Randall and Junior try to stake their claim in a family long on child's play and short on parenting. Her brother Skeetah is sneaking scraps for his prized pitbull's new litter, dying one by one in the dirt. Lately, Esch can't keep down what food she gets she's fourteen and pregnant. Esch and her three brothers are stocking food, but there isn't much to save.

A hard drinker, largely absent, he doesn't show concern for much else. Navigate Your Stars is a perfect gift for anyone in need of inspiration from the author of Salvage the Bones, Men We Reaped, and Sing, Unburied, Sing.Ī hurricane is building over the Gulf of Mexico, threatening the coastal town of Bois Sauvage, Mississippi, and Esch's father is growing concerned. Ward’s inimitable voice shines through as she shares her experience as a Southern black woman and addresses the themes of grit, adversity, and the importance of family bonds. Now, in book form, Ward’s moving words will inspire readers as they prepare for the next chapter in their lives, whether, like Ward, they are the first in their families to graduate from college or are preceded by generations, or whether they are embarking on a different kind of journey later in life.īeautifully illustrated in full color by Gina Triplett, this gorgeous and profound book will charm a generation of students-and their parents.

Speaking about the challenges she and her family overcame, Ward inspired everyone in the audience with her meditation on tenacity in the face of hardship. For Tulane University’s 2018 commencement, Jesmyn Ward delivered a stirring speech about the value of hard work and the importance of respect for oneself and others.

Sing unburied sing a novel