Their Eyes Were Watching God

Re-Read for the Black Classics Book Club hosted by @Loc'D Booktician on Youtube.

This will forever be a 5 star read. The writing is phenomenal and captures the vibe of the times.

This is not a happy story. I do not even find it a story of independence or even one of finding your true self. As simple and as quick of a read this is, it is equally if not more complicated.

This story speaks to:
MisogynyColorism
Closeness to whiteness and white power; how it is desired but if someone else has it you'll do anything to take it away or diminish it Physical abuse and the things humans do to make it ok and move on
Generational norms that inspire discussions on how to evolve now and not later to break those norms so as not to carry them onto the next generationKids should be encouraged to be kids for as long as they can
Coming into one's sexualityLove and what that looks like in different spaces
*Obligatory care of a relative does not equate to love

I do not fault Janie for the decisions she made because she did not know better. I do not fault her because she was not taught to have a voice of her own and was constantly surrounded by people who had thoughts regarding her life all the time. She made choices to leave people or places but where she ended up was not necessarily better than what she had left behind. She still allowed others to mold her into what they felt was most comforting to them. She understood that somethings were happening to her because of power struggles but kept allowing them to happen to appease their souls. In the end, we are not sure if Janie has truly learned from all that she has lived up until that point. In the end I wished her well.