This book is a bit conflicted. There is really no other way to describe it. Fryar writes so beautifully andDisclaimer: ARC via LIbrarything giveaway.
This book is a bit conflicted. There is really no other way to describe it. Fryar writes so beautifully and passionately not only about the Potomac, but about the flora and fauna that inhabit the area. She writes about how the residents of DC are disenfranchised. She loves where she lives. There are parts of this book that are sheer poetry when she describes natural beauty.
More importantly, she is aware of how her privilege can impact how she moves though the environment and how she sees things. This is set up early on in the book where she not only discusses the racial lines and divide of Washington DC and its suburb (including a good critical bit about Anne Carson) and the gentrification of the city, but also when she encounters an eagle and then realizes she is on private property that showcases a “no trespassing� sign. The essay about green space was brilliant, in part by showing how a statistic or data point that looks good doesn’t tell the full story. At times, Fryer does an excellent job of using her family history of long time Southerners to illustrate larger issues.
Yet that is also the problem. There is too much awareness of white guilt in the book. It’s not performative. Fryar writes with passion, but more importantly with sincerity. Yet there are times when one rolls one’s eyes a little because of the guilt, she writes about almost feels performative (note feels. She is sincere). She relates a dining experience that was, if not outright ruined, made unpleasurable because she realizes the gentrification that occurred in the neighborhood. She mentions because she is a settler, she can’t call where she lives home. This, despite the fact that her words and style clearly convey that the area is in fact home to her. It is important, vitally important, that the reflection on race and privilege be present in this book � one cannot write about DC and not do so. And in fact, at times it does make the reader look at things differently, for instance the story about the eagle. But much of the time white guilt overwhelms the book. It becomes less of a book about the Potomac and more about how she sees/feels her white guilt/privilege.
It’s true the book’s title contains the word reflections, and what one reflects upon when looking at something as varied as humanity. However, while Fryer does make the connection between the river and how it can/does represent/incorporate white supremacy and privilege, too often it becomes this is how the author feels in terms of white guilt. That personal guilt, especially when it pops every few pages with little or no boarder reflection on it, gets tiring quickly. Not tiring because it’s wrong or unimportant, but more because there really isn’t anything else there much of the time. So, the reader can say, I understand and might even feel the same way, but what are you going to do about it?
Perhaps the book would feel less that way if the reader parceled out the essays instead of reading the book straight though. Taking each essay separately with the reader pacing herself will allow the wonderful and, at times, powerful writing to shine though. ...more
This isn't bad. It could use another round of editing. Also, I would have liked to have known it the name of Jackson's wife was never recorded or if MThis isn't bad. It could use another round of editing. Also, I would have liked to have known it the name of Jackson's wife was never recorded or if McDonald simply did not use it....more
It's not bad, I just want less fiction in it - in terms of how the people felt about a day or some such. I get that McDonald is writing for all audienIt's not bad, I just want less fiction in it - in terms of how the people felt about a day or some such. I get that McDonald is writing for all audiences, including children - but there is a bit too much of "people thought" when there was no indication of how she knows this.
I do love the fact however that McDonald focuses on little know figures in history with an emphasis on women and people of color....more
This is an historical novel detailing the Crofts' escape from Macon, Georgia. It also details the experience of Ellen Croft's cousin. It is for a younThis is an historical novel detailing the Crofts' escape from Macon, Georgia. It also details the experience of Ellen Croft's cousin. It is for a young adult audience. I do wish the ending sequence had not been a woman in a distress that needs saving. But there were certain parts that were good, like Ellen's reaction to her hair being cut. ...more
You do not need to read the Crafts book about their escape from slavery before reading Woo's account. But if you do not need read it afterward, there You do not need to read the Crafts book about their escape from slavery before reading Woo's account. But if you do not need read it afterward, there is something wrong.
The Crafts were a married couple who escaped from Macon, Georgia by the wife, Ellen, posing as a white man and the husband, William, posing as his(her) slave. They were enslaved by different people. Ellen, as with many enslaved people, being enslaved by her half sister; William enslaved by a man who "allowed" William to be hired out as the skilled craftsman and then took his wages.
The book is largely concerned with their escape - both in terms of going North in the US and then, later, the reasons for their journey to Liverpool in the UK. Woo's narrative concerning the run from Georgia to Philadelphia is edge of the seat reading, and I say this as someone who read the Crafts own account of their flight Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom (Large Print Edition): or The Escape of William and Ellen Craft from Slavery (you can easily get an ebook version for free).
I do wish that the book detail more with their time afterwards in London. They were part of a group that called attention to the immorality and evils of slavery during the Great Exhibition, and that is pretty much where the book ends. In a Coda, Woo gives a short chapter about what they did after and some of that sounds just as interesting. William, for instance, traveled back to Africa and worked to end slavery there as well.
What I really did enjoy was that Woo works in how both racism and sexism factored into how the Crafts were seen and how they at times presented themselves. ...more
Even though the Adam Hochschild published the review in the New York Times Book Review, I strongly recommend reading his review.
I read most of this inEven though the Adam Hochschild published the review in the New York Times Book Review, I strongly recommend reading his review.
I read most of this in the NY Times magazine format when it first came out. This books expands on that and addresses some of the legit criticisms from the first publication.
Honesty, you should read this. The book is not a straight forward history, more of an argument for rethinking how we look at history and frame the US origin myth. Considering how much some, if not most, US schools leave out, this is an important bit.
Those who take issue with the history presented in this book either are not widely read on American history and/or have not taken an American history class outside of high school. The history here is widely available in other sources, some of which are footnoted/cited. As such, this book is more of an introduction or a push to get more people to think beyond the traditional myth. You may argue with the 1619 date (you could ask, for instance, why not a date from when the Europeans stole the land?) but you cannot deny the outsized impact that Virigina had on the development of the country in the beginning. Just like it should be impossible for the average person to not acknowledge the impact that slavery had and still has on this country.
Look, huge parts of this country have had American history taught to them via text books that were approved by the Daughters of the Confederacy. Think about that before you call this collection of essays propaganda. The history here isn't "new" the point- that it should be more widely known, that the origin frame story should be change is the new bit. And it is about time, really.
Towards the end of the book, in her closing essay, Nikole Hannah-Jones writes, "we must do what is just: we must finally live up to the magnificent ideals upon which we were founded". That's the point. Being willfully blind to the history that includes slavery and racism, doesn't do this. This book provides a framework to dismantle that willful blindness and learn more....more
This is one of those books that you wonder why a traditional publisher hasn't picked it up quite yet because honesty it should be.
Peterson's UndergrouThis is one of those books that you wonder why a traditional publisher hasn't picked it up quite yet because honesty it should be.
Peterson's Underground Railroad series is based on the true stories of slaves who escaped slavery. The first is about the Crafts, the second Henry "Box" Brown. Peterson also has a series about African American spies during the Civil War.
This book, about Harriet Tubman and her family, straddles that area between teen and adult. While Peterson does not shy away from the harshness of slavery - for instance Harriet is whipped, characters mention abuses, including both physical and sexual, - he also does not describe it graphically. There are pluses and minuses to this - there are legitimate reasons why the brutality of slavery should be graphically depicted; but the lack of graphic violence also gives the book a wider audience.
What I like about this book is that while Peterson focuses on Tubman, the book is really about her whole family - particularly her parents and her brothers. Peterson does a good job of exploring how the family deals with Harriet's visions. The earlier part of the book details Harriet's early life, and perhaps he spends a bit too much time there - however it does an excellent job of showcasing the family and Harriet's character. When Harriet determines to flee and then determines to return to save her family, the book picks up.
The book isn't about the whole of Tubman's life; it focuses on her childhood, and then her saving her brothers. There is a epilogue that takes place after the Civil War, but Tubman's actions during the war are mentioned in passing and not the scope of the book.
For parts of the book, I found myself thinking a whether or not Peterson had read Ar'n't I a Woman?: Female Slaves in the Plantation South, especially in regards to Tubman's mother I do wish he had included a source or further reading bit at the end.
It might not be the best book ever, but it is enough that I want to read the others in the series as well as his series about the spies in the Civil War....more
On one hand, this is a bit of history about the Juneteenth celebration. On the other hand, it is also a reflection about how we see, remember, and useOn one hand, this is a bit of history about the Juneteenth celebration. On the other hand, it is also a reflection about how we see, remember, and use history. It is a part history, part mediation. Excellent book....more
This book is literally written by a who's who of historians and essayists - as well as activists. It's true that there were So what to say about this?
This book is literally written by a who's who of historians and essayists - as well as activists. It's true that there were a few entries that bordered on historical fiction - though this is a personal taste issue. But this is a must read for any American citizen, though your reading list will grow.
I was wary of the inclusion of the poetry, but I actually found the poems to be a very nice additional. ...more
This is a really good and timely book. While if you are American -North or South- or West Indian and have studied slavery, some of the book will be faThis is a really good and timely book. While if you are American -North or South- or West Indian and have studied slavery, some of the book will be familiar. there is still much to be learned from the book. Dadzie looks at the impact of slavery, mostly in the West Indies, on Black women. The book chronicles not only slavery in the West Indies but also capture and transportation. Hopefully, Dadzie's excellent book will be an introductory text to a future series dealing with women and slavery....more
Can we just named UDC a terrorist organization already?
Wait, wait - here me out.
If you read anything about how the Civil War is remember and how the Can we just named UDC a terrorist organization already?
Wait, wait - here me out.
If you read anything about how the Civil War is remember and how the history of the War has been manipulated, at the heart of that manipulation is the UDC (United Daughters of the Confederacy). From statues to textbooks, the UDC seems to be behind it all. In this book, you can even read about how they put a Confederate Vet marker on the grave of a former slaves, without telling his descendants who were understandably upset.
While there were Black men with the Confederate army, they were camp slaves (I am not going to use servants for reasons). In other words, they could be beaten, were expected to be in danger, and had little choice. Additionally, fleeing was an option but only if you did not want to see your family again.
Levin dissects the photo that graces the cover of his book, a photo that has been used (and still is used) to argue that Black people fought on the side of the South. He takes a good hard look at a the Native Guard from New Orleans, who did not fight for the South despite what some people say.
He may in some cases (like that of the Native Guard) be using technical terms and the pov of the time of the Civil War, but this is important and he makes a good case.
Also, as a secondary, he dismantles the whole states' right line of myth.
The only reason why I am giving this three stars and not four is that the writing could use a bit more editing. There are no grievous eras or anythingThe only reason why I am giving this three stars and not four is that the writing could use a bit more editing. There are no grievous eras or anything, it is just too much tell at points and not enough show.
What Cox has done is present a book that reminded me of Jane Yolen's work. The use of a 13 year old who has her life planned and the disappointments that life brings who is transported back in time is good.
Cox handles complex and possibly triggering plot points well. There are some really good touches, like when Aggie realizes that underwear is not an option. While some people will point out that it is not as graphic as it could or should be, it is graphic enough for a young reader. There are even points where Cox links current work to a form of slavery....more
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