The Water Dancer: A Novel

This book is beautifully written. It's historical and whimsical. One of my favorites!"

UPDATE: I finished the book and it was transformative. It's like reading the perfect poem, or listening to a beautiful song; but it's neither a poem, nor a song. I don't know, I'm not eloquent enough to fully express myself. But, I'm not a huge fan of poetry, and this book to me, is what meaningful poetry is supposed to be. There are parts of the book that are hard to read, mostly a section about a quarter or a third into the book. But it's a necessary part in the characters development, and is important to the story and in making sure the reader truly understands how horrific slavery was in America. I love that this is a story of stories' about the human experience. It is woven expertly by Mr. Coates, whose world building and use of language is superb. An example of this is his transformation of the word enslaved, referring to them instead as "the tasked". Similarly the wealthy whites are called "the quality". Lastly, to not ruin any plot, I love how the power of conduction in this book does not come easily, and comes with a physical price and recovery time. I will be buying this book for my physical collection, and now count it as one of my favorite novels. Review in the middle of reading the book: I am currently reading Ta-Nehisi Coates’, The Water Dancer. I should be more precise; I am listening to the novel The Water Dancer in its audio book form. I thought that I had read some really good books up to this point in my 45 years of life; but upon listening to the words that Mr. Coates so eloquently puts to paper, I realized that I need to reevaluate every “good” book I’ve ever read. I want to compare Mr. Coates to Mr. James Baldwin, but I confess, I’ve only ever read Baldwin’s essays, and have not yet read his novels. I imagine, however, that Baldwin is a similar weaver of story to Mr. Coates. When I read, or listen to, Ta-Nehisi’s words, I hear the truths of Baldwin’s essays manifesting themselves into the lyrical poetry of a well told story. Something that is profound, and true, even if the characters are false. It's as if Mr. Coates finds the essence of truth, gets to the very heart of the fabric of human reality in this country, and is able to put it lyrically to paper. There is no room for boredom or distraction in the reading of his words. There is only rapt attention. A rapt attention that stares at the abominable reality of the “negro condition” as Baldwin so eloquently put it. I don’t quite know how Mr. Coates is able to enable the reader face the brutality of slavery without traumatizing us, but he does. In fact, I usually avoid books about slavery at this time in my life, being more than a little acquainted with its history, and finding books of its kind far to upsetting for me now. I think the trauma compounds, as you learn and experience more about the horrific history of this world. After a while, it’s just not entertaining. It only makes me want to weep. Not so with this book. Mr. Coates stares the hard truths right in the face and doesn’t shy away from them, but I find myself surrounded as if by a warm blanket in his words, protected from the worst of it, while still starting the truth down and accepting its gospel. I might change my mind as the story continues to unfold, as I’m still very early on in the book, but my Mother-In-Law recommended the book to me a few years ago, and said it was one of the most beautiful books she’s ever read, so I don’t think that my mind will change at all. If you choose to listen to the audio, it won’t disappoint. The narrator, a Mr. Joe Morton, does an excellent job. He even has an excellent singing voice, as some call and response songs from the days of slavery are peppered throughout the book. Mr. Morton has a melodious deep voice that is both comforting and engaging. I am looking forward to finishing the rest of this book, and hope whoever is reading this partial unasked for book review, does so as well.

I really wanted to like this book so badly as the story behind it is right up my alley, but for some reason I really struggled with this one. It was definitely an interesting story line but in the end it wasn’t for me.

I found the book disturbingly haunting while beautifully written. Coates uses his craft as a writer to tell a mystical tale incorporating historical facts into a story full of love and mutual respect, while simultaneously “conducting” the feelings of those Tasked a slave into the reader or listener. Historic figures, including Harriet Tubman; Peter and William Still’s story; references to the Amistad rebellion; and The Underground Railroad are masterfully woven into this saga, told as if one we’re sitting by a campfire. Most effective, however, is Coates ability to share the mental and emotional health struggles of those born into a life of bondage—not just the horrific physical abuse and suffering, albeit there is plenty of that too. Truly an American masterpiece.

“𝙸 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚖𝚜 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚗. 𝙱𝚒𝚐 𝚍𝚞𝚖𝚋 𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚖𝚜. 𝙳𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚐𝚘𝚗𝚎.” “𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚍𝚘 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚖 𝚘𝚏 𝚗𝚘𝚠?” 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚜𝚔𝚎𝚍. “𝙰𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝙸 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚞𝚙 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖?” 𝙸 𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚍. “𝙱𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐. 𝙸 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚖 𝚘𝚏 𝚋𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐.” The Water Dancer was the last book of the year for #ReadItAndWeepBookclub & wow what a perfect way to end it. To say this book changed me is an understatement. I went into it thinking it would be mostly magical elements with historical accuracies sprinkled in but It’s the complete opposite. Coates creates a heartbreaking, eloquent novel about slavery that I would recommend to those who are lovers of the language of a story rather than the plot. My two biggest takeaways: 1. I don’t know enough about Harriet Tubman & as a 30 year old this is so disappointing. I’m angry with older generations & our school system for failing us, but I’m also so disappointed in myself for feeling like I knew enough to not seek out more information on her. The complacency slapped me right in the face. Drop any recs you have on The Moses of Her People below! 2. Corrine was such a fascinating, multilayered character that made me question how much I understand my own internalized racism. Her being a white woman who was an agent for The Underground means there was a lot she did right - so much good she gave to people of color they might not have had without her privilege. However, she shows how much evil she can has within her in order to protect her own pride she so desperately wants to prove she doesn’t have. Corrine’s story made me look at how I choose to be an ally & WHY; is it to be a driving force for change or is it to make sure people know that I’m “not one of THOSE White people”? Many times the reasons overlap. All of this is so deeply rooted & I have walked away from this book with new ways of thinking about my antiracism work.