The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great MigrationThe Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration
Score Modern
What it's about
Between World War I and 1970, about six million Black Americans left the South for the cities of the North and West, one of the largest migrations in American history. Isabel Wilkerson tells the story through three people: Ida Mae Gladney, a sharecropper's wife who left Mississippi for Chicago in 1937; George Starling, who fled Florida for Harlem in 1945; and Robert Foster, a doctor who drove from Louisiana to Los Angeles in 1953, hoping for a life the South wouldn't allow.
Why it's worth reading
It reads like a great novel but is built on years of interviews and research, and it explains how the America we live in now was shaped. Many readers call it the best nonfiction they've ever read.
You'll love it if you liked
Between the World and Me
Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City
Caste: The Origins of Our DiscontentsGood to know
It's long, about 600 pages, but the three life stories carry you through it. Racist violence of the Jim Crow South is described plainly.
By the numbers
- Readers99 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics81 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller62 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #3 of the 198 history books we rank
- #14 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #22 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
True story
More by Isabel Wilkerson
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Quick answers
Is The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration worth reading?
Yes. It reads like a great novel but is built on years of interviews and research, and it explains how the America we live in now was shaped. It ranks #22 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 91.5 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration about?
Between World War I and 1970, about six million Black Americans left the South for the cities of the North and West, one of the largest migrations in American history. Isabel Wilkerson tells the story through three people: Ida Mae Gladney, a sharecropper's wife who left Mississippi for Chicago in 1937; George Starling, who fled Florida for Harlem in 1945; and Robert Foster, a doctor who drove from Louisiana to Los Angeles in 1953, hoping for a life the South wouldn't allow.
How long does it take to read The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration?
About 16 hours (622 pages), or about 5 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What awards has The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration won?
NBCC Award (Nonfiction) winner (2010).
What should I read after The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration?
If you liked it, try Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates, Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond or Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson.