If you know me, you know I love a good historical fiction read. When I first started this book, I had no idea of how important literary great Jessie Redmond Fauset was. She was responsible for discovering quite a few Black writers that paved the way
for what Black Literature is today. I enjoyed reading her story and how her work at The Crisis ( the official magazine of the NAACP) gave us literary greats such as Countee Cullen, Langston Hughes, Jean Toomer, Nella Larsen and so many more.Her editing and the guidance she provided to these young writers was remarkable and I am upset that I didn’t learn about her sooner. However, this is not just any historical fiction novel, it also involves a scandalous affair between Jessie Redmond Fauset and W.E.B. Dubois. While I enjoyed this story, I felt like the affair overshadowed how important her work was during the Harlem Renaissance. I found myself wanting to know more about Jessie and her amazing accomplishments. At times, DuBois became a handful and I so badly wanted Jessie to walk away and do her own thing but she refused to leave “her
babies” as she called them. When she finally did though, I was extremely proud of her. After the success of her first novel and leaving The Crisis, Jessie went on to publish four novels. She also wrote a number of poems, short stories, a novella, and
editorials while still at the magazine. With this book, I am hoping that more people learn about Jessie and all of her achievements. I pray that Jessie got her flowers while she was still on this earth. Make sure to check Harlem Rhapsody out when it hits shelves on February 4th. Happy reading!
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