"Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neale Hurston

In "Their Eyes Were Watching  God" Hurston wrote of one woman's journey through life as she searched for love and happiness. It was a story about Janie, a woman who only wanted to share her life with someone who would love, respect, and support her as much as she loved, respected, and supported him.
Janie's first relationship was with Logan Killicks whom she was forced to marry. All Janie wanted was the idealistic love, but that wasn't to be in that marriage. Mr. Killicks is cold and distant and eventually we see him become abusive towards Janie.
Her next relationship was with Joe Starks. He showed up suddenly one day as Janie was working around the yard. After a little flirting, Starks asks Janie to run away with him. And so begins marriage number two. At first this was an ideal relationship. Joe seemed to truly love Janie, but eventually we see that he is holding her back. He treats her as if she is a stupid, useless piece of junk. Janie is not "allowed" to do anything other than occasionally tend the store. While she managed to eke out a life with Joe, it wasn't until he died that we saw Janie really come to life. It was as if, through her bad marriages, she had learned what it was she really wanted and needed in her life. She finally saw herself as a real human being who was worthy of respect and happiness.
After some time alone when she was able to form an identity separate from anybody else, she met Tea Cake. He lifted her spirits right up. He took Janie fishing, taught her games, and just generally treated her with respect and love. Although Tea Cake is mildly deceptive at first, their marriage proceeds to a point where they are at peace with one another. They worked together and had fun together.
Then Tea Cake got bit by a rabid dog. He was sick and there was no hope for recovery. Janie had to watch him deteriorate until he was completely out of his mind. In the end it came to the point where he was going to kill her if she didn't do anything about it. She ended up having to shoot him in order to save herself.
Once again, Janie was on her own. She moved back to the house she had shared with Joe Starks and started her life over alone but at peace with it all.

I like that Zora Neale Hurston wrote about life and people and did not focus as much on race or gender as issues. The people in her stories were just individuals with individual lives fraught with problems and obstacles just like anybody else. Hurston's characters spoke to such subjects as happiness, sorrow, financial woes, safety, and the search for real love and peace in life. These tings drove their lives forward rather than race or gender. Hurston wrote of family dynamics that breached the lines defined by the color of a person's skin.