melanie_reads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
I'm honestly surprised this book doesn't make more must-read lists by African-American authors. I've been focusing on reading more classic books written by women and people of color and this was on my radar for awhile. I was surprised to find that it wasn't available at my local library branch and had to be ordered through the community college.
Ernest J. Gaines paints an amazing portrait of a Black Woman born into slavery who lives through the start of the Civil Rights Movement. I found the relationship between the Black and White characters (who still own the plantations Black people work on into the 1950s) both realistic and troubling. It was especially troubling because I realized how little that topic is tackled in literature and the surprising (at least to me) realization that post-Reconstruction White people thought they treated Black people well. And for anyone who needs a reminder, slavery isn't exactly ancient history.
I'll be thinking about this one for awhile ... and probably recommending it, too.
Ernest J. Gaines paints an amazing portrait of a Black Woman born into slavery who lives through the start of the Civil Rights Movement. I found the relationship between the Black and White characters (who still own the plantations Black people work on into the 1950s) both realistic and troubling. It was especially troubling because I realized how little that topic is tackled in literature and the surprising (at least to me) realization that post-Reconstruction White people thought they treated Black people well. And for anyone who needs a reminder, slavery isn't exactly ancient history.
I'll be thinking about this one for awhile ... and probably recommending it, too.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Suicide, Racial slurs, Racism, and Rape
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