Leafy, at age 17, was ráped by her white school teacher. He kept her in the woods before running off in daylight.
After Leafy gave birth to Janie, Leafy became an alcoholic and ended up leaving. Nanny transferred her hopes to her granddaughter Janie.
Their Eyes Were Watching God is a 1937 novel by Zora Neale Hurston. It was published long after the heyday of the Harlem Renaissance. It's a novel that occupies and reflects a specific historical moment (or two or three), but it is also— without being at all contradictory — a novel for all time.
You can check out the thorough summary and analysis of this literary masterpiece at Shmoop.com.
Books teach us about love, heartbreak, friendship, war, social injustice, and the resilience of the human spirit. Here are 25 books you should read at least once in your life shared by Lifehack.org.