Book discussion: Their Eyes Were Watching God (Zora Neale Hurston, 1937)

"Ships at a distance have every man's wish on board. For some they come in with the tide. For others they sail forever on the horizon, never out of sight, never landing until the Watcher turns his eyes away in resignation, his dreams mocked to death by Time. That is the life of men.

Now, women forget all those things they don't want to remember, and remember everything they don't want to forget. The dream is the truth. Then they act and do things accordingly."

Their Eyes Were Watching God is a classic of the Harlem Renaissance and an iconic part of the feminist canon. It follows Janie, a thoughtful, offbeat Black woman, from childhood through about age 40 as she searches for romantic love and self-actualization in turn of the century rural Florida.

NOTE: we read this last year, but will be reading it again for those who missed it, as it's the group host's all-time favorite book :)