The Time of Our Singing
Richard Powers
4.25 · 16 ratings · Published: 06 Apr 2002
Jonah, Ruth and Joseph are the children of mixed-race parents determined to raise them beyond time, beyond identity, steeped in song. Yet they cannot be protected from the world forever.
Even as Jonah becomes a successful young tenor, the opera arena remains fixated on his race. Ruth turns her back on classical music and disappears, dedicating herself to activism and a new relationship. As the years pass, Joseph – the middle child, a pianist and our narrator – must battle not just to remain connected to his siblings, but to forge a future of his own.
This is a story of the tragedy of race in America, told through the lives and choices of one family caught on the cusp of identities.
- historical 3
- historical fiction 3
- literary fiction 3
- family 2
- postmodernism 2
- political 2
- social commentary 2
- black mc 1
- protagonists of colour 1
- Add topics
- content warnings
- racism 3
- format - reader age
- audiobook 3
- book 1
- adult fiction 1