Overview

An acclaimed young poet traces the lives of her foremothers in Western Tennessee, from those enslaved centuries ago to her grandmother, her mother, and finally her own life, in this stunning debut celebrating Black girlhood and womanhood. An ""extraordinary"" (Laurie Halse Anderson) young poet traces the lives of her foremothers in West Tennessee, from those enslaved centuries ago to her grandmother, her mother, and finally herself, in this stunning debut celebrating Black girlhood and womanhood throughout American history. ""A masterpiece that beautifully captures the heartbreak that accompanies coming of age for Black girls becoming Black women.""-Evette Dionne, author of Lifting as We Climb, longlisted for the National Book Award ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR- Ms. Magazine, Kirkus Reviews Walking Gentry Home tells the story of Alora Young's ancestors, from the unnamed women forgotten by the historical record but brought to life through Young's imagination; to Amy, the first of Young's foremothers to arrive in Tennessee, buried in an unmarked grave, unlike the white man who enslaved her and fathered her child; through Young's great-grandmother Gentry, unhappily married at fourteen; to her own mother, the teenage beauty queen rejected by her white neighbors; down to Young in the present day as she leaves childhood behind and becomes a young woman. The lives of these girls and women come together to form a unique American epic in verse, one that speaks of generational curses, coming of age, homes and small towns, fleeting loves and lasting consequences, and the brutal and ever-present legacy of slavery in our nation's psyche. Each poem is a story in verse, and together they form a heart-wrenching and inspiring family saga of girls and women connected through blood and history. Informed by archival research, the last will and testament of an enslaver, formal interviews, family lore, and even a DNA test, Walking Gentry Home gives voice to those too often muted in America- Black girls and women.

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9780593498002

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Reviews

Through verse, Young feels called to reclaim ownership of her own legacy, and future. If, as the spiritualist Ram Dass said, 'we're all just walking each other home,' then Young has taken her ancestors' hands, the ones who lived and died without the right to their full humanity, and walks them as far as she can down their own paths. -Ashley C. Ford, The New York Times Book Review A lyrical debut. -Time Young honors Black womanhood while connecting it with the countless ways American culture has challenged, abused, and dismissed what it means to be both Black and a woman . . . With a true love for the South and the women who raised her, Young delivers a unique and powerful debut. -Shondaland [Young's] words reflect the wisdom of generations of women. -Margaret Renkl, Nashville Scene (Best Literary Debut of 2022) With lyrical precision, Young refracts Black history through her family's experiences of racism and 'deferred dreams'. . . A moving debut from a young writer with great promise. -Kirkus Reviews (starred review) Chronicles [Young's] family's history through nine generations of mothers in her life. -NPR (Book of the Day) 270 years of [Young's] family history told in verse...to recreate the stories of her living and long-departed ancestors. -The Tennessean Extraordinary-family truth written with fire, an American story . . . Poems that call out the lies that cage us. Songs that lift up the strength of girls and women . . . [this book] demands a reckoning, and gives me hope. -Laurie Halse Anderson Walking Gentry Home is a masterpiece of a book that so beautifully captures the heartbreak that accompanies coming of age for Black girls becoming Black women. It's that tissue that connects every girl in a family tree . . . Young . . . operat[es] almost as a genealogist, a storyteller of her family's history-and all our histories . . . [she] will be heralded as a literary force for many, many generations to come. -Evette Dionne The truth-telling in this book will move and stir things in you that you did not even know were there . . . Young's words lay beauty on the page with the invitation to learn our histories through the women in her family . . .You have no choice but to love this book and let our generational curses be broken. -Bettina L. Love A brilliant book, written by an equally ingenious author . . . Walking Gentry Home is a must-read for any of us who dare to know more about our history in order to inform how we live...[it] teaches as it inspires. -H. Richard Milner IV These are necessary poems-pulsing with syntactic urgency . . . and deep generational wisdom. -Karyna McGlynn Young's intimate family history also takes us through the history of the United States . . . You may see yourself reflected in Young's verse . . . you may step back to imagine your foremothers and how they shape your becoming. -Nashville Scene

Young honors Black womanhood while connecting it with the countless ways American culture has challenged, abused, and dismissed what it means to be both Black and a woman. . . . With a true love for the South and the women who raised her, Young delivers a unique and powerful debut. -Shondaland ( The Best Books for August 2022 ) Through verse, Young feels called to reclaim ownership of her own legacy, and future. If, as the spiritualist Ram Dass said, 'we're all just walking each other home,' then Young has taken her ancestors' hands, the ones who lived and died without the right to their full humanity, and walks them as far as she can down their own paths. -Ashley C. Ford, The New York Times Book Review With lyrical precision, Young refracts Black history through her family's experiences of racism and 'deferred dreams'. . . A moving debut from a young writer with great promise. -Kirkus Reviews (starred review) A lyrical debut. -Time, 12 New Books You Should Read in August Walking Gentry Home is extraordinary-family truth written with fire, an American story . . . Poems that call out the lies that cage us. Songs that lift up the strength of girls and women . . . denied their due . . . [the book] demands a reckoning, and gives me hope. -Laurie Halse Anderson, author of Speak and Chains, finalists for the National Book Award Walking Gentry Home is a masterpiece of a book that so beautifully captures the heartbreak that accompanies coming of age for Black girls becoming Black women. It's that tissue that connects every girl in a family tree . . . Young . . . operat[es] almost as a genealogist, a storyteller of her family's history-and all our histories . . . [she] will be heralded as a literary force for many, many generations to come. -Evette Dionne, author of Lifting as We Climb, longlisted for the National Book Award The truth-telling in this book will move and stir things in you that you did not even know were there . . . Young's words lay beauty on the page with the invitation to learn our histories through the women in her family . . .You have no choice but to love this book and let our generational curses be broken. -Bettina L. Love, professor of education at the University of Georgia and author of We Want to Do More Than Survive This is a brilliant book, written by an equally ingenious author . . . Walking Gentry Home is a must-read for any of us who dare to know more about our history in order to inform how we live...[it] teaches as it inspires. -H. Richard Milner IV, chair of education at the Department of Teaching and Learning at Vanderbilt Peabody College and author of Start Where You Are, but Don't Stay There These are necessary poems-pulsing with syntactic urgency...and deep generational wisdom. -Karyna McGlynn, author of 50 Things Kate Bush Taught Me About the Multiverse Young's intimate family history also takes us through the history of the United States . . . You may see yourself reflected in Young's verse...you may step back to imagine your foremothers and how they shape your becoming. -Nashville Scene 270 years of [Young's] family history told in verse...to recreate the stories of her living and long-departed ancestors. -The Tennessean

Walking Gentry Home is extraordinary-family truth written with fire, an American story. The American Story, I should say. Poems that call out the lies that cage us. Songs that lift up the strength of girls and women who were (who are) denied their due. A book that honors ancestors, demands a reckoning, and gives me hope. -Laurie Halse Anderson, author of Speak and Chains, finalists for the National Book Award Walking Gentry Home is a masterpiece of a book that so beautifully captures the heartbreak that accompanies coming of age for Black girls becoming Black women. It's that tissue that connects every girl in a family tree, no matter the generation, and it's that pain, triumph, uncertainty, and trauma that collectively runs through our veins. Alora Young, on the cusp of womanhood herself, is a powerful observer of this transition, operating almost as a genealogist, a storyteller of her family's history-and all our histories as well. Alora, daughter of Monette and many foremothers known and unknown, will be heralded as a literary force for many, many generations to come. -Evette Dionne, author of Lifting as We Climb, longlisted for the National Book Award The truth-telling in this book will move and stir things in you that you did not even know were there. What a gift to the world. Alora Young's words lay beauty on the page with the invitation to learn our histories through the women in her family. The tenderness and love of Young's writing with the voices of her ancestors is astonishing. You have no choice but to love this book and let our generational curses be broken. -Bettina L. Love, professor of education at the University of Georgia and author of We Want to Do More Than Survive This is a brilliant book, written by an equally ingenious author. This book captures readers right from the start. Walking Gentry Home is a must-read for any of us who dare to know more about our history in order to inform how we live, learn, and navigate our present worlds. A call to concurrently tap into our hearts and minds as we learn from our ancestors, this book teaches as it inspires. -H. Richard Milner IV, chair of education at the Department of Teaching and Learning at Vanderbilt Peabody College and author of Start Where You Are, but Don't Stay There These are necessary poems-pulsing with syntactic urgency, cinematic poignancy, textural pleasure, and deep generational wisdom. -Karyna McGlynn, author of 50 Things Kate Bush Taught Me About the Multiverse

Author Information

Alora Young is a college student, an actor, and the Youth Poet Laureate of the Southern United States. Her poetry has appeared in The New York Times and The Washington Post, and she has performed her poetry on CNN, CBS, and the TEDx stage. Originally from Tennessee, Young currently attends Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania.

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