Wandering in Strange Lands

The bestselling author of This Will Be My Undoing journeys to understand her roots, the Great Migration & the displacement of black people across America.

One of TIME's one hundred Must Read Books of 2020 and one of Good Housekeeping's Best Books of the Year

"Required reading, accurately widening the lens of American history." —Booklist (starred review)

Between 1916 and 1970, six million black Americans left their rural homes in the South for jobs in cities in the North, West, and Midwest in a movement known as the Great Migration. But while this event transformed the complexion of America and provided black people with new economic opportunities, it also disconnected them from their roots, their land, and their sense of identity, argues Morgan Jerkins. In this fascinating and deeply personal exploration, she recreates her ancestors' journeys across America, following the migratory routes they took from Georgia and South Carolina to Louisiana, Oklahoma, and California.

Following in their footsteps, Jerkins seeks to understand not only her own past, but the lineage of an entire group of people who have been displaced, disenfranchised, and disrespected throughout our history. Through interviews, photos, and hundreds of pages of transcription, Jerkins braids the loose threads of her family's oral histories, which she was able to trace back 300 years, with the insights and recollections of black people she met along the way—the tissue of black myths, customs, and blood that connect the bones of American history.

Incisive and illuminating, Wandering in Strange Lands is a timely and enthralling look at America's past and present, one family's legacy, and a young black woman's life, filtered through her sharp and curious eyes.

Featuring a new afterword from the author

"A quintessentially American story. . . . By exploring the truth o that past with such integrity, this memoir enriches our future." —New York Times Book Review

"Her desire to understand both her personal and cultural origins will inspire you to do the same." —Elle