Don't Cry for Me by Daniel Black

A Black father makes amends with his gay son through letters written on his deathbed in this wise and penetrating novel of empathy and forgiveness, for fans of Ta-Nehisi Coates, Robert Jones Jr. and Alice Walker

As Jacob lies dying, he begins to write a letter to his only son, Isaac. They have not met or spoken in many years, and there are things that Isaac must know. Stories about his ancestral legacy in rural Arkansas that extend back to slavery. Secrets from Jacob's tumultuous relationship with Isaac's mother and the shame he carries from the dissolution of their family. Tragedies that informed Jacob's role as a father and his reaction to Isaac's being gay.

But most of all, Jacob must share with Isaac the unspoken truths that reside in his heart. He must give voice to the trauma that Isaac has inherited. And he must create a space for the two to find peace.

With piercing insight and profound empathy, acclaimed author Daniel Black illuminates the lived experiences of Black fathers and queer sons, offering an authentic and ultimately hopeful portrait of reckoning and reconciliation. Spare as it is sweeping, poetic as it is compulsively readable, Don't Cry for Me is a monumental novel about one family grappling with love's hard edges and the unexpected places where hope and healing take flight.

Hardcover, 304 pages

Published February 1, 2022

 by Hanover Square Press

4.5/5 stars

This is my first time reading a Daniel Black book. It was also my March BOTM pick.

This was very much a tell story. Told from the POV of Jacob, a man dying as he pens a letter to his estranged son. He is reflecting on both his past and upbringing to how it affected his relationship with his son Isaac.

This was another combo book and audiobook read. While I enjoyed the book I highly recommend the audiobook. It is read by the author himself making it all the more emotional and personal.

Don’t Cry For Me is a story of father-son relationship. And really I could say more but I won’t. It’s one that needs to be experienced first hand. It is a piece of fiction but very much feels like a memoir. A touching story that spans generations with love and loss, heartache and more. A story that will stay with me.

This book was part of my 2023 Reading Off My Shelf Challenge #32