Let Us Descend

This is a harrowing and disturbing account of slavery in an America that is hostile and brutal and told in appalling detail with a fierce beauty. Breathtaking resilience and determination is on full display, and you find yourself hoping against hope for the chance of peace.

My knowledge of the experiences of the enslaved in the US was graphically relived in my mind as I read this book.It covered many of the life experiences of a slave from birth to the desires of freedom of the enslaved through Annis’ life (main character).I read this book because it was on the Oprah book list.Very good book.

“Let Us Descend” by Jezmyn Ward requires a strong stomach, like most novels about slavery. The reader wants realism, then reads about rape and technical incest and wishes for less. The protagonist, Annis, takes us on a journey inspired by Dante’s Inferno when her Sire (father) cruelly sends her mother away.“Magical Realism,” one of the suspicious genres assigned to this intense book by Goodreads, is my kryptonite. I get lost if I struggle to transition from the real to the fantastical. When Annis meets spirits, however, she thoroughly introduces us to them. Having a caring spiritual being with whom you could consult while going through the humiliating process of a slave market provides promise in an otherwise hopeless situation.I watched a Jezmyn Ward interview on the Seth Meyers show in which he described this as an “easy read.” I needed several double-takes to comprehend everything. I simultaneously thought the action was a horrifying representation of slavery and that I did not know what was going on. I had a professor to help with “Inferno,” thankfully.Still, you will enjoy Annis as she struggles to find creative ways to have freedom. Annis finds solutions despite her struggles, some of which are too late in the book to mention here. The author based this story on the journey process instead of a sequential plot or specific destination. Dante’s classic “Inferno” qualifies as the same quirky classification.I read for the same reason I teach: I like “A-Ha” moments. This book had them, but you had to go a long time between them. It was a grueling experience. I wanted to like it more than I did, but my comprehension started to slip, which affected my interest in the characters and the storyline.

I have read several of Ms. Ward's books. I liked them all. This one was by far the most captivating and the most challenging to read. As a writer myself I can only imagine what it took for her to produce this masterpiece. It is a very different look and a much deeper look at the institution of slavery.Sandra L Manigault

In her afterword, Ward acknowledges that she struggled with this book, and that struggle shows. I'm a huge fan of almost all of her work, but not as big a fan of "Let Us Descend". The stories of the cruelty and privations experienced by slaves is moving and very familiar. Perhaps it can't be retold too often. Ward's descriptions of scenes are vivid. However, I didn't feel that there was enough movement in the plot, enough change, to accompany the descriptions of hardships. I was just not able to get immersed in "....Descend" as I've been immersed in her previous work. The effectiveness of the spirits which attempt to guide the protagonist did not work as well for me as they apparently did for others. The book also seems to have a couple of "seams" which don't quite stick together, and the ending seems somewhat forced. Still, I remain a huge fan of her previous work, and I look forward to her next book. Without question, I'll buy and read that book.