Wandering in Strange Lands

"One of the smartest young writers of her generation. "--Book Riot From the acclaimed cultural critic and New York Times bestselling author of This Will Be My Undoing--a writer whom Roxane Gay has hailed as "a force to be reckoned with"--comes this powerful story of her journey to understand her northern and southern roots, the Great Migration, and the displacement of black people across America. Between 1916 and 1970, six million black Americans left their rural homes in the South for jobs in cities in the North, West, and Midwest in a movement known as The Great Migration.

But while this event transformed the complexion of America and provided black people with new economic opportunities, it also disconnected them from their roots, their land, and their sense of identity, argues Morgan Jerkins. In this fascinating and deeply personal exploration, she recreates her ancestors' journeys across America, following the migratory routes they took from Georgia and South Carolina to Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Californ.