In “Sing, Unburied, Sing”, Jesmyn Ward evokes “the terrible beauty of life along the nation’s lower margins” in a “sharp-eyed novel” (Kirkus Reviews) that won the National Book Award for fiction.  Jojo and his little sister, Kayla, live with their grandparents, while their mother Leonie drifts in and out of their lives.  When Jojo’s and Kayla’s father is released from prison, Leonie takes the kids with her on what turns into a harrowing road trip across a muggy landscape haunted by hatred. “Lyrical yet tough, Ward’s distilled language effectively captures the hard lives, fraught relationships, and spiritual depth of her characters” (Library Journal).