Native Guard by Natasha Trethewey

This Pulitzer Prize-winning poetry collection serves as a profound meditation on memory and the racial legacy of the American South. Through a blend of personal history and national narrative, the poems weave together the story of a mother's death, the poet's childhood in Mississippi, and the forgotten history of the Louisiana Native Guards, a black regiment assigned to guard Confederate prisoners of war. The work explores themes of loss, the intersection of personal and collective past, and the complex nature of remembrance, ultimately questioning what it means to be a native guardian to history's darker truths.

The 8111th greatest book of all time

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Total Points: 84

Since this book was first published in 2006, there is a penalty of 51.2%. The age adjusted score is 40.99.

This is to prevent newer books from reaching super high on the ranked list of the greatest books of all time. The greatest books should also stand the test of time.