Dust tracks on a road
First published 1942 · English · 328 pages
- Biography and memoir
This is Hurston's autobiography, telling of her life from her childhood in the all-Black town of Eatonville, Florida, through her schooling, her years of travel and her work as a writer and anthropologist. She describes her family, early struggles, and the people who helped her along the way. The book is lively and often humorous, and it is also guarded about some personal matters. Its blend of memory, storytelling and opinion has made it both a valued account of a remarkable career and a subject of debate among readers.
Quotes
Mama exhorted her children at every opportunity to "jump at de sun." We might not land on the sun, but at least we would get off the ground.
Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose. It is a seeking that he who wishes may know the cosmic secrets of the world and they that dwell therein.
If you haven’t got it, you can’t show it. If you have got it, you can’t hide it.
Love, I find is like singing. Everybody can do enough to satisfy themselves, though it may not impress the neighbors as being very much.