#VelshiBannedBookClub: “Their Eyes Were Watching God” by Zora Neale Hurston

The life of American author Zora Neale Hurston is a story in and of itself. She wasn't just an author – but an ethnographer, a novelist, an essayist, a folklorist, and a filmmaker. Like Hurston, “Their Eyes Were Watching God” isn't just one thing – it's a love story, a feminist declaration, a coming-of-age exploration, and a celebration of the South. So who better to discuss her work than Dr. Imani Perry, author of National Book Award Winner “South to America,” and Dr. Ibram Kendi, whose new adaptation of Hurston’s “‘Magnolia Flower” has just hit the shelves? At its core, “Their Eyes Were Watching God” is an exploration of modern, Black womanhood. It tells the story of a woman searching for dignity and agency. Even today, more than 85 years since the novel's publication, the concept that women – especially Black women -- are worthy of the sort of love they want is revolutionary.Jan. 14, 2023