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A review by marcird
They Were Her Property: White Women as Slave Owners in the American South by Stephanie E. Jones-Rogers
challenging
dark
informative
sad
slow-paced
4.0
This should be mandatory reading. The depth and detail of the author’s scholarship is astounding. And the detailed accounts and direct quotations of enslaved people and slave owners/traders were utterly gut wrenching.
Not only was this book a deep dive into the essential role white women played in the antebellum south but it was an unbelievably thorough analysis of the economic, legal, and business dynamics that propelled slavery as the central life force in the south.
It. Was. A. Horror. Many parts of this book were very difficult to read and nearly impossible to comprehend.
The only reason I am giving this a 4 and not a 5 is that the writing is fairly dry/academic. I wish the author had laid out the overall shape and direction of the book as several of the chapters didn’t feel particularly distinct and as a reader I didn’t always have a clear sense of where we were headed.
But truly, this should be required reading for all Americans.
Not only was this book a deep dive into the essential role white women played in the antebellum south but it was an unbelievably thorough analysis of the economic, legal, and business dynamics that propelled slavery as the central life force in the south.
It. Was. A. Horror. Many parts of this book were very difficult to read and nearly impossible to comprehend.
The only reason I am giving this a 4 and not a 5 is that the writing is fairly dry/academic. I wish the author had laid out the overall shape and direction of the book as several of the chapters didn’t feel particularly distinct and as a reader I didn’t always have a clear sense of where we were headed.
But truly, this should be required reading for all Americans.