kandicez's review against another edition
4.0
Haley's books are so real and heart wrenching! They make you proud of what we have become, but ashamed of what's in our past, at the same time. While not as large in scope as Roots, this book certainly shows us a slaves existence, complicated by a white father. There were times I wanted to smack Queen! She could be such a sassy brat. Her mother, Easter, however, could have applied for sainthood in my book!
elle4352's review against another edition
3.0
Out of the nearly 700 pages, the first 300 all account for a time when Queen wasn’t even born. While I appreciate some backstory on how the family came to America, it was far too much for a book entitled “Queen”
blendedbydesignreads's review against another edition
5.0
[bc:Queen|154710|Queen|Alex Haley|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327991401l/154710._SY75_.jpg|1176308]
If you like Black-historical fiction and ancestry told in a way that feels personal, you'll love Queen.
The first thing I really enjoyed about the book, was the break up of sections into four parts: Bloodlines, Merging, Queen and A Wife and Mother, Loved
I found Part One, Bloodlines, to be an integral part of the story in that it laid the frame as to why and how Queen's Irish descendants made their way to the US. As the story progresses, I was often brought back to James Jackson's (Queen's grandfather) fight against oppression and his disgust and frustrations of the rich ruling class and the affect it had on the peasants and the poor. Caught up in these discriminations during his youth, he was terrified of the abuse of power, and convinced by his best friend that even though the peasants only had pitchforks, "We are many and they are few, and it is better to die for what you believe in than live in bondage."
After a row with the British, Jamie (preferring James as his American name), is banished from Ireland, and takes his chances in America, and very quickly forgets the lessons of his earlier angst against those that have.
Part Two, Merging, while not my favourite part of the book, is that space where Alex Haley does what only he can do, weave a tale of a family's legacy in a way that exposes all the dirt, pomp, drama and scandal that is the backbone of America. Merging was an eye opening section for me in that many of the nuances of how systemic racism came to be are addressed in the exploration of one Southern State, American family, Queen's lineage. Merging is race and slave relations. Merging is a looking glass into the generational and regional attitudes towards enslavement, by both the enslaved and their 'owners'.
Merging is also a look at what's behind door number 3 when it comes to the civil war, an obvious understanding for me now that it wasn't so much about emancipation, as it was about a redistribution of land ownership & wealth; The old familiar dog whistle disguised as equality.
Earlier on in Bloodlines, James had decided to throw 'his slaves' Cap 'n Jack and Annie (Queen's grandparents) a grand wedding, inviting everyone, showing the world and his slaves "the benign face of slavery. They would see that it was not all beatings and lashings and rape and exploitation, but rather a unique and unrivalled management of the land and people."
Later through Merging, his son, Jass (Queen's father), who had once held strong beliefs against slavery and envisioned a day when freedom would ring, had eventually succumbed to the belief that his "utopian ideal was not possible, not in the South at least, perhaps because he thought it might be destructive to what he was supposed to maintain."
The seeds of confederate justification; the right to protect your legacy and the need to protect your privilege.
Part Three, Queen, was a slow start for me mainly because I hated how they took her away from her mother, Easter, to live in the Big House, like that was going to be of some benefit to her. The early years discussed in this section reeked of privilege and white supremacy, and was the course that set Queen on a lifelong identity crisis. While obviously able to pass, a large part of the story, her passing in the big house, amongst her own kin, was never going to happen. While being white as cotton is her blessing and her curse, at least with her mother and 'her people', she'd of learned earlier on who she was and who society was always going to see her as.
There's few bread crumbs as to Queen's recognition, that no matter what she did, or how well she did it, she was always going to be a child of the plantation. This was made obvious when Jass, her father, came home from the war after the South, including their own plantation at The Forks, truly fell from grace. The entire time, Queen was there, giving her all... thinking it was being appreciated and recognized.
Chapter 64, that's when we really see the shift in Queen's understanding of her role in her father's life, and the change in narrative as it related to how she saw her own future within the Jackson family: "He was fond of Queen, fonder of her than of any other of his former slaves, for she was Easter's child, and a living fragment of the memory of his love. That she was also his own child was a lesser issue, and one of lessening importance to him. Although the war had been over only for a few weeks, his discussions with his friends and associates had concentrated all his attention on the survival of his immediate and legal family in the postwar years.
The rest of this part of the book is hard. Queen lives in squalor and heartbreak, with the lack of capacity to make effective decisions, due to what we know now as a symptom of extreme trauma. When the book first came out, I mighta thought she was simply immature and needy. Now I understand her to be broken and without any real sense of acceptance. It must be said of all the people that came in and out of her life, I'm left wondering whatever happened to Alice and Joyce, two women who took her in, one hoping to teach her how to pass as white, the other hoping to teach Queen how to see herself for who she really was. "I love being me," she said. "I tried being the other side, and now I love being black."
The book closes out with part four, A Wife and Mother, Loved. There's a simplicity in how the book ends that feels full. There's an understanding that while Queen would always be at the mercy of her demons, her finding a family of her own was the balm she needed to carry through. Queen learns to love, and from that she finds personal happiness and self respect.
I'll be carrying space for the memory of Queen and the shadows of the plantation babies, bi-racially dispossessed, searching for home in the skin they're in, for years to come.
If you like Black-historical fiction and ancestry told in a way that feels personal, you'll love Queen.
The first thing I really enjoyed about the book, was the break up of sections into four parts: Bloodlines, Merging, Queen and A Wife and Mother, Loved
I found Part One, Bloodlines, to be an integral part of the story in that it laid the frame as to why and how Queen's Irish descendants made their way to the US. As the story progresses, I was often brought back to James Jackson's (Queen's grandfather) fight against oppression and his disgust and frustrations of the rich ruling class and the affect it had on the peasants and the poor. Caught up in these discriminations during his youth, he was terrified of the abuse of power, and convinced by his best friend that even though the peasants only had pitchforks, "We are many and they are few, and it is better to die for what you believe in than live in bondage."
After a row with the British, Jamie (preferring James as his American name), is banished from Ireland, and takes his chances in America, and very quickly forgets the lessons of his earlier angst against those that have.
Part Two, Merging, while not my favourite part of the book, is that space where Alex Haley does what only he can do, weave a tale of a family's legacy in a way that exposes all the dirt, pomp, drama and scandal that is the backbone of America. Merging was an eye opening section for me in that many of the nuances of how systemic racism came to be are addressed in the exploration of one Southern State, American family, Queen's lineage. Merging is race and slave relations. Merging is a looking glass into the generational and regional attitudes towards enslavement, by both the enslaved and their 'owners'.
Merging is also a look at what's behind door number 3 when it comes to the civil war, an obvious understanding for me now that it wasn't so much about emancipation, as it was about a redistribution of land ownership & wealth; The old familiar dog whistle disguised as equality.
Earlier on in Bloodlines, James had decided to throw 'his slaves' Cap 'n Jack and Annie (Queen's grandparents) a grand wedding, inviting everyone, showing the world and his slaves "the benign face of slavery. They would see that it was not all beatings and lashings and rape and exploitation, but rather a unique and unrivalled management of the land and people."
Later through Merging, his son, Jass (Queen's father), who had once held strong beliefs against slavery and envisioned a day when freedom would ring, had eventually succumbed to the belief that his "utopian ideal was not possible, not in the South at least, perhaps because he thought it might be destructive to what he was supposed to maintain."
The seeds of confederate justification; the right to protect your legacy and the need to protect your privilege.
Part Three, Queen, was a slow start for me mainly because I hated how they took her away from her mother, Easter, to live in the Big House, like that was going to be of some benefit to her. The early years discussed in this section reeked of privilege and white supremacy, and was the course that set Queen on a lifelong identity crisis. While obviously able to pass, a large part of the story, her passing in the big house, amongst her own kin, was never going to happen. While being white as cotton is her blessing and her curse, at least with her mother and 'her people', she'd of learned earlier on who she was and who society was always going to see her as.
There's few bread crumbs as to Queen's recognition, that no matter what she did, or how well she did it, she was always going to be a child of the plantation. This was made obvious when Jass, her father, came home from the war after the South, including their own plantation at The Forks, truly fell from grace. The entire time, Queen was there, giving her all... thinking it was being appreciated and recognized.
Chapter 64, that's when we really see the shift in Queen's understanding of her role in her father's life, and the change in narrative as it related to how she saw her own future within the Jackson family: "He was fond of Queen, fonder of her than of any other of his former slaves, for she was Easter's child, and a living fragment of the memory of his love. That she was also his own child was a lesser issue, and one of lessening importance to him. Although the war had been over only for a few weeks, his discussions with his friends and associates had concentrated all his attention on the survival of his immediate and legal family in the postwar years.
The rest of this part of the book is hard. Queen lives in squalor and heartbreak, with the lack of capacity to make effective decisions, due to what we know now as a symptom of extreme trauma. When the book first came out, I mighta thought she was simply immature and needy. Now I understand her to be broken and without any real sense of acceptance. It must be said of all the people that came in and out of her life, I'm left wondering whatever happened to Alice and Joyce, two women who took her in, one hoping to teach her how to pass as white, the other hoping to teach Queen how to see herself for who she really was. "I love being me," she said. "I tried being the other side, and now I love being black."
The book closes out with part four, A Wife and Mother, Loved. There's a simplicity in how the book ends that feels full. There's an understanding that while Queen would always be at the mercy of her demons, her finding a family of her own was the balm she needed to carry through. Queen learns to love, and from that she finds personal happiness and self respect.
I'll be carrying space for the memory of Queen and the shadows of the plantation babies, bi-racially dispossessed, searching for home in the skin they're in, for years to come.
5elementknitr's review against another edition
3.0
This book was good but not nearly as good as Roots. Where Roots focused more on the families involved and their relationships, this one seemed to focus more on the history of the time period in which the story took place. Still very good book, though.
monmegbar's review against another edition
5.0
Read this book years ago after watching the television miniseries. The miniseries follows the book pretty closely, if my memory is correct.
thndrkat's review against another edition
2.0
A five-star, heart-wrenching, eye-opening story that conveys powerfully the traumas that formerly enslaved people and their descendants faced before, during, and after the Civil War. The authors do an amazing job presenting multiple points of view (including male, female, Irish, American, black, white, wealthy, destitute, angry, scheming, hopeful, and hopeless).
But the writing style is dated, melodramatic at times, and can be heavy-handed, especially the romanticized, male-centric sex scenes.
Still, it’s worth reading for the insights that sadly still echo through the United States today. Even though we don’t have slavery, we still have racism, and we as a society still struggle with what to do about irrational, fear-fueled violence.
As the book says about the character Davis, who becomes a labor organizer, “he thought slavery irrational and he could not understand why rational people tolerated it. In this ... he profoundly underestimated the society he was dealing with.”
But the writing style is dated, melodramatic at times, and can be heavy-handed, especially the romanticized, male-centric sex scenes.
Still, it’s worth reading for the insights that sadly still echo through the United States today. Even though we don’t have slavery, we still have racism, and we as a society still struggle with what to do about irrational, fear-fueled violence.
As the book says about the character Davis, who becomes a labor organizer, “he thought slavery irrational and he could not understand why rational people tolerated it. In this ... he profoundly underestimated the society he was dealing with.”
elibug's review against another edition
3.0
The historical significance of this book can't be argued. I give it three stars because this book begins very boring and I had to force myself to continue for more than half the book. It reads like the most interesting history book, it's interesting, but it is still a history book. I recommend everyone read this, just go in for the history and to learn something. Don't go into this book looking for purely entertainment, because that is not the purpose of it.
kenchingfox's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
canada_matt's review against another edition
5.0
After reading some of Alex Haley’s other work, I could not wait to get my hands on this piece. The book proves to be an epic overview of the slave era in America, told in a multi-generational narrative that will pull the reader in while exploring a country coming of age. Collaborating with David Stevens, Haley develops a strong story that is an essential read for anyone wishing to understand just how intense things got in the South. James ‘Jamie’ Jackson was a youth in an Ireland that offered no mercy for its religious minority. Hailing from a a Protestant family, Jackson knew he could only be safe by traveling to the recently established United States of America at the end of the 18th century. When he arrived, Jackson felt the electricity of a country that had recently shed its shackles and wanted to be free. After a short time, Jackson settled in Nashville, alongside another family member whose rise to fame was in the making. While Jackson did not see the need, he was encouraged to take slaves as he set himself up to prosper in his new country. Soon seeing the benefit, Jackson became a slaveholder as he started a family, which included a son, Jass. Things were going so well that a move to the Deep South, around Atlanta, became an essential, with Jass growing up and soon accepting slaveholding as well. Jass matured while surrounded by many of the slaves his family kept, while America began its transformation. One slave in particular, Easter, caught Jass’ eye, though they both knew it was forbidden. Still, as Jass fought his inner urges and demons, he and Easter found time to consummate a passion that could have seen them both brutally punished. Jass knew that he could not take his connection to Easter public and buried it by turning to a woman who was more acceptable. Still, Jass was willing to hold a place for Easter in his heart. The birth of Queen proved to be a wonderful gift for both Jass and Easter, a beautiful mixed-race child who could pass for white, but who still had strong ties to her mother’s coloured roots. When war broke out between the North and South, Jass left to fight, with a young Queen knowing the truth about who he was, even if it was forbidden to admit. Queen grew and lived through many of America’s coming of age moments, eventually being freed and sent off into the world. While her literal shackles were gone, this was a time when old habits and sentiments were slow to change, even for a Queen. A masterful journey through many generations, Haley and Stevens depict the horrors of slavery and the slow discovering of freedom for a country that prided itself on acceptable. Highly recommended to those who love a powerful story of hope and despair, with historical events woven into the fabric of the larger narrative.
I read Haley’s classic book, Roots, a number of years ago. I was pulled into the story from the early-going and could not stop myself reading, even as the horrors of slavery were front and centre. This novel is a spin on that one, allowing Haley and Stevens to offer up some new and interesting takes on the slow maturity of America through the slave trade and into an era of ‘freedom’ for all. There are a few key characters who grace the pages of the book and whose stories seem to connect well at various points. The Jamie and Jass storylines connect well, as they are both characters who matured and come to understand life in a particular way; that slavery was an inherent part of the American experience. While Jamie accepted owning people was part of the business model he needed, Jass found himself tempted by love when the country was anything but colourblind. The inclusion of the Easter and Queen characters added flavour to the tale, enriching the experience and permitting the reader to see things from the other side. The authors depict life as a slave as being anything but glorious, from daily beatings and backbreaking labours, through the to understanding that they are anything but free to live and prosper. These themes prove more powerful than can be easily depicted in this review, but the reader will surely find many examples as they devour this piece. While the authors use historical events as the backbone of the piece, there are some interesting questions and sentiments posited throughout the narrative. What might have happened if the Southern colonies never joined together after tossing the British out during the War of Independence? Might America and this southern offshoot have been their own countries that could live in harmony, while differing in their views? Haley and Stevens offer a few more of these gems, interspersed with the impactful description of the daily experiences of the slaves on plantations. Even later in the book, there is a strong picture painted post-Civil War, as the country tried to amend its thinking, even in the North. All this adds to the wonders of the story. With a mix of short and longer chapters, paired with a stunning collection of characters, the authors deliver a story that will break the reader’s heart while also pull them in to read on. By no means a light read, this is one classic novel that I will never regret taking the time to read.
Kudos, Messrs. Haley and Stevens, for a powerful look at the world in a different era. While the times may have changed, some would feel that some old mentalities have returned, pitting person against person in hopes of finding their own truth.
This book serves as the October 2019 selection for the Mind the Bookshelf Gap Reading Group.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/248185-a-book-for-all-seasons
I read Haley’s classic book, Roots, a number of years ago. I was pulled into the story from the early-going and could not stop myself reading, even as the horrors of slavery were front and centre. This novel is a spin on that one, allowing Haley and Stevens to offer up some new and interesting takes on the slow maturity of America through the slave trade and into an era of ‘freedom’ for all. There are a few key characters who grace the pages of the book and whose stories seem to connect well at various points. The Jamie and Jass storylines connect well, as they are both characters who matured and come to understand life in a particular way; that slavery was an inherent part of the American experience. While Jamie accepted owning people was part of the business model he needed, Jass found himself tempted by love when the country was anything but colourblind. The inclusion of the Easter and Queen characters added flavour to the tale, enriching the experience and permitting the reader to see things from the other side. The authors depict life as a slave as being anything but glorious, from daily beatings and backbreaking labours, through the to understanding that they are anything but free to live and prosper. These themes prove more powerful than can be easily depicted in this review, but the reader will surely find many examples as they devour this piece. While the authors use historical events as the backbone of the piece, there are some interesting questions and sentiments posited throughout the narrative. What might have happened if the Southern colonies never joined together after tossing the British out during the War of Independence? Might America and this southern offshoot have been their own countries that could live in harmony, while differing in their views? Haley and Stevens offer a few more of these gems, interspersed with the impactful description of the daily experiences of the slaves on plantations. Even later in the book, there is a strong picture painted post-Civil War, as the country tried to amend its thinking, even in the North. All this adds to the wonders of the story. With a mix of short and longer chapters, paired with a stunning collection of characters, the authors deliver a story that will break the reader’s heart while also pull them in to read on. By no means a light read, this is one classic novel that I will never regret taking the time to read.
Kudos, Messrs. Haley and Stevens, for a powerful look at the world in a different era. While the times may have changed, some would feel that some old mentalities have returned, pitting person against person in hopes of finding their own truth.
This book serves as the October 2019 selection for the Mind the Bookshelf Gap Reading Group.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/248185-a-book-for-all-seasons
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