BIG READ - THEIR EYES WERE WATCHING GOD

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neal Hurston is another book I'd read several years ago that is included in THE BIG READ collection. When patrons check the book out I always say, “This one is a really good!” Still, it is hard for me to put my finger on what it is about this story that makes me say those words.
Hurston's tale begins when a woman (Janie) returns home for a funeral after being gone for many years. There, on the front porch of her friend's house, she tells the tale of her life.
Despite being considered an “African American Feminist Classic,” Hurston speaks to all women. The scene in the book where Hurston describes Janie's sexual awakening under a pear tree (as she watches a bee pollinate the tree's flowers) is not only erotic but remarkably beautiful and sensitive. Hurston's words still linger in my mind, but its more than romance that makes this work so meaningful.
For me, it is Hurston's characters that stand out. On THE BIG READ'S CD Robert Hemingway's comment helped me understand why I enjoyed this book so much. He said simply, “This book is about people.” In Hurston's book we see people struggling, discovering, and growing during difficult times. It is the tale of a journey through life that defies race.
For more information on the Zora Neal Hurston's book the Their Eyes Were Watching God go to http://www.neabigread.org/books/theireyes/, then stop by the library for a copy of the book. It is a really good!