Zora Neale Hurston's Dust Tracks, by Selah Park

Having no luck in finding a non-fiction book that caught my eye, I unfortunately came to class unprepared. Thankfully, Ms. Fletcher was able to hand Gemma and I some books we could choose our pick from. I chose Dust Tracks on a Road by Zora Neale Hurston. Reading the foreword by Maya Angelou, I realized that I had gotten myself into an African American historical book about Hurston's own life. Having an interest in the history of the United States, I was glad that I had picked a book on that subject. 

Although I haven't really read most of the book yet, I am starting to get a jist of the story and the protagonist's chracteristics. This book is about Zora Neale Hurston, and her young life as a daughter of the mayor of the 1st all Negro community in Florida-in the whole United States to be exact. It takes place in Eatonville, which was chartered by an especially kind folk who were unusually tolerant of race during this time of racial segregation in the 19th century. A group of African Americans separated from the main town of Maitland to settle the community of Negroes nearby. What I know from the rest of the book is that there is a bit of a Cinderella twist in it, as Zora's mother passes away and she is forced to deal with an unforgiving stepmother, who thankfully, her father does not side with.

This book won the 1942 Anisfield-Wolf Book Award for its contributions to race relations. I have read that Zora Neale Hurston's fans did not want her to write this book, and she did not want to either. There are many paradoxes about the book. For instance, Zora seems to defend her peopel and their cultural rights, but she also embraces the whites with their kindness and she honors them. The book was heavily edited for her rash opinions on imperialism in Asia and politics.  Although I honestly have no interest in non-fiction, I believe it was a good idea to learn more about the African American culture many people disregard. This is a good book choice for people who enjoy historical fiction, but must read a non-fiction book for an English class.