The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois is a novel by American poet Honoree Fanone Jeffers, on her first outing as an author. It was published in 2021 by Harper Collins. Set in the American deep South, the novel explores African-American history before and after slavery, all the way to the present day America.
According to the author, civil rights activist W. E. B. Du Bois' influence is all over this novel. The core belief that black people were far more capable of superseding the societal expectations imposed on them by the white man is fully addressed. Not only was Du Bois an activist, but he was also a symbol of hope that African-Americans looked to for courage and identity.
Jeffers traces back family history, forms of education, and racial prejudice through poetic love songs that portray black individuals for who they were and for what purpose they had to endure endless suffering to this very day. The novel has been dubbed an "utterly remarkable" work of fiction.
The scale of the novel is ambitious, and the author does not fail to hit her mark. Indeed, the author of a Great American Novel, Jeffers was featured in the 2021 Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture held on Juneteenth, where she presented the novel. The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois was named as a finalist in the 2021 Kirkus Prize.
