SUNDAY BOOKS & CULTURE: Essays
From hurricanes to storytelling, from grief and loss to race and literature, Jesmyn Ward's collection of essays is a must-read.
ON WITNESS AND RESPAIR
By Jesmyn Ward
Published by Scribner (May 19, 2026)
Hardcover $27.03
Audiobook $14.99
By Ashley Riggleson
Jesmyn Ward has already made a name for herself as a writer, and she does not need me to do it for her. And yet, her new essay collection, On Witness and Respair, is so deserving of praise that I cannot help but add my voice to the mix.
It can be difficult to discuss a collection like this one. The essays are not connected in a way that forms an easy chronological narrative. But while I usually prefer a traditional long form memoir for its structure, On Witness and Respair pulled me in rather forcefully. Ward’s tender and engaging voice is compelling whether she is speaking about the horror of Hurricane Katrina, the importance of storytelling, unimaginable grief and loss, race, or representation in literature.
Perhaps unsurprisingly my favorite pieces in this collection are the emotional ones where Ward shows us that she has the courage to dig down deep. She shows us how growing up as a black woman in Mississippi shaped her—discussing a complicated relationship with a flawed place where race is always in the room, determining the course of lives and impacting them (at least within a larger sociological context) for the worse. It seemed to me, however, that Ward’s objective here is to give a state with a complicated personal and social history more depth. For, along with the criticism, Ward also shares memories of deep and abiding love. For her family but also for a state whose geography and culture drew her back, even after she left for graduate school.
As such, Ward asks readers, many of whom, (like myself), have never experienced life in a state or family like hers, for a particular kind of empathy, one that compels us to understand that two stories of a place can contradict each other and still be true.
She also, it must be said, makes this case beautifully, her vivid prose reminding us that heartbreak and hope can live side by side. Although Ward is more well-known for her fiction, (She has won the National Book Award twice). I prefer her nonfiction for its clarity and precision. And no, the difference in genre does not impact the musicality of her prose.
If I have one complaint about this collection, it has to do with the way it is put together, not the quality of the individual essays within it. Here, her personal story and pieces about the books that informed her thinking are juxtaposed. And, while this structure would work well in theory, I often found the changes in tone and topic rather jarring. That said, it is also worth articulating that I still found myself compulsively reading this wonderful collection. Despite the academic sounding title, Ward engaged me completely, and this collection challenged me in ways that showcase her prowess in the essay form even more.
On Witness and Respair has been getting lots of early buzz, and for good reason. This outstanding essay collection, not to be missed.
Ashley Riggleson is a free-lance book reviewer from Rappahannock County. When she is not reading or writing book reviews, she can usually be found playing with her pets, listening to podcasts, or watching television with friends and family.
Local Obituaries
To view local obituaries or to send a note to family and loved ones, please visit the link that follows.
