60 pages • 2 hours read
Let Us Descend
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Summary and Study Guide
Overview
Published in 2023, Let Us Descend is Jesmyn Ward’s fourth novel. Ward has won two National Book Awards, the first of which was awarded for Salvage the Bones (2011) and the second for Sing, Unburied, Sing (2017). All four of Ward’s novels to date depict life for African American communities in the American South, and her first three works are set in Bois Sauvage, a fictionalized version of her family home of De Lisle, Mississippi. Let Us Descend is the first of her books to examine the experiences of enslaved African Americans, but it shares with her other works a thematic interest in institutional racism and oppression, generational trauma, resilience, agency, and the strength of Black family ties. Although it is primarily categorized as historical fiction due to its engagement with the history of enslavement in America, Let Us Descend also blends distinctive elements of fantasy and magical realism into its straightforward storytelling style.
This guide refers to the 2023 hardcover first edition by Scribner.
Content Warning: Both the source material and this guide contain depictions of enslavement, sexual assault, racism, violence, abuse, and suicidal ideation.
Plot Summary
Related Titles
By Jesmyn Ward
