Care in the Wake: Sing, Unburied, Sing

This essay explores forms of caring in Jesmyn Ward's Sing, Unburied, Sing . Relying on Christina Sharpe's concept of the wake, I analyze the circumstances of contemporary Black life, including but not limited to the presence of the carceral system and antiblack violence, as well as the methods and modes of caring that develop out of those circumstances. Jojo, in particular, develops an early awareness of the ramifications of how he cares for his family and environment that allows him to approach life differently than his parents and grandparents.