Those Who Saw the Sun: African American Oral Histories from the Jim Crow South

The past is not past. We may think something ancient history, or something that doesn't affect our present day, but we would be wrong.

Those Who Saw the Sun is a collection of oral histories told by Black people who grew up in the South during the time of Jim Crow. Jaha Nailah Avery is a lawyer, scholar, and reporter whose family has roots in North Carolina stretching back over 300 years. These interviews have been a personal passion project for years as she's traveled across the South meeting with elders and hearing their stories.

One of the most important things a culture can do is preserve history, truthfully. In Those Who Saw the Sun we have the special experience of hearing this history as it was experienced by those who were really there. The opportunity to read their stories, their similarities and differences, where they agree and disagree, and where they overcame obstacles and found joy - feels truly like a gift.

P R A I S E

"These elders' voices are a collective treasure."
--Kirkus (starred)

"Compelling."
--School Library Connection

Author: Jaha Nailah Avery
Publisher: Levine Querido
Published: 07/11/2023
Pages: 320
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.36lbs
Size: 9.30h x 6.37w x 0.92d
ISBN: 9781646142446
Audience: Young Adult


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 04/15/2023
Publishers Weekly 05/01/2023
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 06/01/2023 - Book Of Special Distinction
Booklist 05/15/2023 pg. 41

About the Author
Jaha Nailah Avery is an African American woman and proud Southerner. Hailing from Asheville, North Carolina, she received her law degree from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she studied constitutional and civil rights law. She spent several years in the startup tech space before embarking on her professional writing career, and her work can be found in The New York Times, Rolling Stone, and Architectural Digest. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and a Diamond Life member of the NAACP. Her aim is to always document, celebrate, and preserve the stories of Black people, communities, and history.