This Child's Gonna Live

By Sarah E. Wright

Book Overview

"Sarah Wright's triumph in this novel is a celebration of life over death. It is, in every respect, an impressive achievement."-- The New York Times , 1969 "Often compared to the work of Zora Neale Hurston, the novel was unusual in its exploration of the black experience from a woman's perspective, anticipating fiction by writers like Toni Morrison and Alice Walker."-- The New York Times , 2009 Originally published in 1969 to broad critical acclaim, This Child's Gonna Live is an unsurpassed testament to human endurance in the face of poverty, racism, and despair. Set in a fishing village on Maryland's Eastern Shore in the 1930s, this story has as its main character the unforgettable Mariah Upshur, a hard-working, sensual, resilient woman, full of hope, and determination despite living in a society that conspires to keep her down. In her mind, she carries on a conversation with Jesus, who, like Mariah herself, is passionate and compassionate, at times funny and resolutely resilient to fatalism. Often compared to Zora Neale Hurston for her lyrical and sure-handed use of local dialect, Wright, like Hurston, powerfully depicts the predicament of poor African American women, who confront the multiple oppressions of class, race, and gender.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1558613978
• ISBN13: 9781558613973
• Release Date: May 2002
• Publisher: Feminist Press
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.6" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

A superbly written and heartrending tale

Set in a Maryland fishing village in the early 1930's, This Child's Gonna Live by Sarah E. Wright is the harshly candid story of Mariah Upshur, the African-American wife of a poor oysterman, and who is struggling to keep her family together despite smothering press of poverty and despair. This Child's Gonna Live is the superbly written and heartrending tale of a monumental effort for family survival under the harsh realities of rural poverty. Of special interest in this Feminist Press edition of an African-American literary classic is the inclusion of the Sarah E. Wright's essay, "The Writer's Responsibility".