Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

Yellow Wife by Sadeqa Johnson

19 reviews

hannahglenn's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Excrement, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Classism

amandasbookreview's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

“I hated having to rest my hopes on another white man. But it was not up to me. In this world, the men called Master held all the power.”

YELLOW WIFE

Yellow Wife is written by Sadeqa Johnson. Before I get into the review, there are a few trigger warnings: slavery, racism, physical abuse, sexual abuse, torture, racial slurs, miscarriage, child loss, pregnancy loss, death, trafficking, and that isn’t all of it.

It is 1850 and Pheby is being raised on the Bell Plantation. She is the daughter of an enslaved woman and the plantation master. She is considered a slave but has been taught to read, write, and play the piano. But most of all, she is told by her mother that she must never convince herself in her mind that she is a slave and that she will one day be free. But instead of being freed at 18, the Master’s wife has other plans for her. She sells Pheby and she is forced to be the mistress of the jailer in charge of what is called The Devil’s Half Acre where slaves are beaten and tortured. Every decision she will make is to ensure the survival of her children and loved ones but all of the decisions will come with a sacrifice.

The main thing I want to talk about when it comes to this book is the author’s note. While this book is fiction, it is inspired by real people and a real place. Sadeqa Johnson and her family took the Richmond Slave Trail Walk and she stumbled upon a story that she knew she had to tell. The story of Pheby is inspired by Mary Lumpkin. Johnson then immersed herself in the research behind this woman and it shows. This book is powerful, tragic, heartbreaking, and important. Because of Johnson, Mary’s name is not lost, like so many others who were victims of enslavement in the United States.

In this story, Pheby has a book that holds her mother’s healing recipes but when she is forced to work for the jailor, she meets several enslaved women and is determined to write their stories down before they are beaten and sold to the next white man. There is so much emotion written into Pheby and this story, it is clear that the author intended to honor her ancestors. This is a part of our history. A part of history that many want to ignore. We need to face these atrocities to acknowledge the generational trauma inflicted on Black people and to make sure that history never repeats itself. We can never atone for the brutality and heartlessness that occurred, but we can learn from it and make it so there is true justice and equality from here on out. This is an incredible read from beginning to end.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

tayloremmap's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

2.5

I really enjoyed Pheby’s story, but I felt like this book was just a check-list of plot points that could have been fleshed out more. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, and Colonisation

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Blood, Excrement, Medical content, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol

liblibby's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Colonisation

zormal815's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, War, and Classism

kdippel's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Hate crime, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Abortion, and Murder

Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Torture, Blood, Trafficking, and Pregnancy

lady_grey_with_honey's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

 Wow, this was brutal at times to read (trigger warnings for just about everything), but it was such an incredible story. I kind of wish that I had read the Author's Note first, instead of at the end, because she talks about the true stories that inspired her writing and how she started researching. This book was fast-paced with incredibly well-developed characters and a world that is described with such meticulous detail that you will be surprised when you look up from your book and realize you are actually just sitting in your living room. Even though it is painful at times to read, the stories of these characters are so, so important. I would love it if the author would turn this into a multi-generational series. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Excrement, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Infidelity, Misogyny, Blood, and Grief

simpleexplorations's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Excrement, Vomit, Trafficking, Grief, and Murder

Moderate: Kidnapping and Death of parent

katjoyphil's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder