The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois

Synopsis: Is this the story of a person or a place? This is a family history, centered on Ailey Garfield, the youngest daughter of a middle class Black family. Her mother’s family has deep roots in Chicasetta Georgia, and Ailey returns every summer to escape the northern city in which they live. This ambitious novel covers at least 200 years of family history, tying in multiple threads of the family history from slave, to slave holder, to Native American, to good old white trash.

Review: Wow! There are a lot of highs and lows in this ambitious novel. As you might expect, any story that dwells even partly in the world of slavery and bondage is going to have more than it’s share of horror and grief. The time traveling nature of this book takes us back and forth between early branches of the family tree of slaves, native Americans displaced by the plantation owners, and everything from root to twig! Ailey develops an interest in history, and begins to research the family tree. There were many great characters, especially Uncle Root, Belle, and Ailey herself. However, be aware, it’s a long book, 816 pages to be precise. I don’t generally shy away from something because of it’s length, but my chief criticism here is that this family tree really needed some pruning and editing. A LOT of pruning, I would say. I think it could have been even more compelling if more concise.

Rating: 4/5

Recipe: There were a lot of references to food and eating in this book. In fact, at one point I even wondered if the author was developing a story line that Ailey had an eating disorder, because she was always proclaiming how hungry she was and discussing the food she was planning to devour. There are so many good southern inspired recipes, but pecan pie was my choice. One of my favorites!

Chocolate Pecan Pie

4 oz German Sweet chocolate

1 prepared pie crust (you can make your own, but I like a few shortcuts)

2 tablespoons butter

3 eggs, slightly beaten

1/3 cup sugar

1 cup Karo light or dark corn syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 tablespoons bourbon, optional

1 1/2 cup pecan halves

1) Heat oven to 350 degrees

2) Line 9 inch pie plate with pie crust

3) microwave chocolate and butter together until melted

4) Brush bottom of pie crust with small amount of the egg

5) Stir sugar, corn syrup, eggs and vanilla into chocolate mixture until well blended

6) Add bourbon if desired

7) Stir in pecans

8) Pour into pie crust

9) Bake about 50 minutes or until knife inserted 2 inches from edge comes out clean.