I'm glad I read this as a graphic novel because I'm pretty sure I couldn't have handled the emotional reaction to reading it as text only. Even as a gI'm glad I read this as a graphic novel because I'm pretty sure I couldn't have handled the emotional reaction to reading it as text only. Even as a graphic novel it punched me in the stomach-- as well it should.
Dana, a twenty-something African-American writer, is pulled back in time to 1815 and across half the world by the deadly danger to an ancestor of hers-- a white slaveholder. At first, this is when he is a young boy, but that's not the first time. She can't control when she'll be brought there, and she has only limited control when she will return to our time. She's certainly not sure what happens to her if he dies before the child she is descended from is born. She'll end up spending far too long in his world, confronting the everyday horrors of life in a slaveholding household and culture. She'll see how the slaveholding culture twists everyone, enslaved people and slaveholders, including herself. This is thrown into relief with her relationship to her white husband in the 20th century.
This is a very, very complex book about very complex reactions of people in an unendurable, immoral situation. We have no way of knowing what the Weylin men would have been like if they had not been immersed in the culture of slaveholding; Butler makes sure that she leaves us in doubt. Explicitly, Butler connects the sick culture of sexual abuse to that of slaveholding men having ultimate power over enslaved women, as well as over their loved ones. Ultimately, every black person in the story has to make choices, again and again, about how to react to the experiences: do they knuckle under to survive? Rebel? Fight back? Die?
The graphic novel format is powerful here, and also accessible. Of course it's not an easy read. You can feel the blows in its pages. The adaptation-- well, I haven't read the original, so I don't know how it compares, but fans of Butler say it's good. This is a graphic novel that I feel belongs alongside Maus....more
My four stars for this reflects both its topic (black women suffragists) and its place in its genre. As a set of romance novellas, this is better thanMy four stars for this reflects both its topic (black women suffragists) and its place in its genre. As a set of romance novellas, this is better than many I have encountered in the genre, though I admit my acquaintance with the genre predates the availability of many black romance novels, which makes this particularly welcome in an area of the genre still smaller than it should be. As with any collection of novellas, some are more appealing to a given reader than others.
The authors of all of them clearly did a great deal of reading relating to their chosen historical periods, and focused upon women we don't read as much about in the 1870-1920 period: 3 of the 4 are from relatively well-off families-- one the daughter of a famous 'woman lecturer'; the fourth is the proprietress of a musical club in Harlem that also offers what is euphemistically termed 'other services'. The fourth novella was the one that caught my interest the most: LET US DREAM by Alyssa Cole. The strong heroine, the vividly but not schmaltzily cast background, the Bengali leading man, and the plot itself, were really satisfying. Some of the others seemed a little more cardboard-y but that may be my bias. One in which a young woman pastry chef comes home by train from Wyoming for her mother's birthday after less than one year working Out West seemed a bit far-fetched, but it did capture nicely the conflict between the desire of black men to fight to recover/enforce the voting rights recently granted to them but not actually available, and the desire of black women to also hav the right to vote.
The first story was heartbreakingly schmaltzy, both in its setup and its resolution, involving so many tropes that the Deus Ex Machina must have been worn out with popping up (view spoiler)[ White Fiancee supposedly killed in the Civil War, Black lady flees a subsequent arranged marriage and is raped, man returns from the dead and thinks she's married and gives up, violently insane best friend, wedding leads to charges of miscegenation that are averted by husband claiming his greatgrandmother's race, etc. (hide spoiler)]
However, the story about the college age daughter of a famous abolitionist/suffragist speaker working for a summer in a Black school started by do-gooders and subsequent involvement with the Atlanta Washerwomen's Strike was interesting and much stronger coffee than the Wyoming pastry chef or the Civil War unwidow.
All around: good romance, unusual characters and settings, definitely worth a read, especially with the centennial of the 19th amendment this year, as a balance to the primarily white-only 'history of suffrage' we learn from white-only sources. ...more
A mystery. A cozy mystery starring an herb shop owner. Set in a Shaker community museum. Not at all bad for what it is! Nobody was stupid. The herb anA mystery. A cozy mystery starring an herb shop owner. Set in a Shaker community museum. Not at all bad for what it is! Nobody was stupid. The herb and history bits were not wrong. There was very little that was completely and utterly unbelievable. As a herb fan and a reader of mysteries, I'd say that's above average already. There were very few hateable characters, and, at least in this volume, the investigator's personal angsts were not center stage. The main character had a non-PI background, and she used it appropriately (*gasp*!). I didn't love China Bayles, but I enjoyed the mystery, so I'll probably read others in the series. I was a bit put off by the introduction, which included all sorts of characters that series readers wanted to know about but really didn't offer me much except an info-dump. The style, alternating the modern investigator and mystery with flashbacks from the Shaker community and tid-bits of 'newspapers' and 'journals' can be hard to pull off, but Albert managed it, leaving me more connected with the long-ago Shakers (especially Sister Charity!) and the friend from the modern museum board than with her heroine....more
Ten year old Rachel is the youngest of three sisters on her family's farm in the midwest in the 1950s. Like her sisters, she is expected to keep up wiTen year old Rachel is the youngest of three sisters on her family's farm in the midwest in the 1950s. Like her sisters, she is expected to keep up with chores, drive tractors, help herd recalcitrant cattle. But she often is afraid of the cattle or can't keep up. This really, really, bugs her dad, who comes down hard on her for her failings. But when push comes to shove, can Rachel come through in a family crisis, and if she does, will her dad notice?
First of all, this is historically solid (I was doing most of the same things at 10 on a farm in NY state in the 1970s), and the work and the struggles to do the work well Rachel experiences are well-portrayed. However, the whole thing with her dad really bugs me, especially since there's no explanation of why he behaves this way (view spoiler)[and when he admits she did a big thing and he's proud of her, it's only behind her back (hide spoiler)]. So, yeah, zero points for that. But a good depiction of how girl kids before the liberation era still helped on their families' mid 20th century farms, so points for that.
It gave me nostalgia of the bittersweet kind. I'd give it to my mom to read but then she'd get all apologetic about what we were expected to do on the farm when I was a kid....more
Excellent book. A serious puzzle novel similar to The Westing Game, but with a serious twist about the history of African-American communities and whaExcellent book. A serious puzzle novel similar to The Westing Game, but with a serious twist about the history of African-American communities and what is remembered and what is forgotten. It might be a little confusing for some middle grade readers because the perspective switches from Candice in the present day back to memories from other people in the past-- but at least in the hardback version, the name of the person whose perspective is being given is at the beginning of the chapter head, AND those chapters are on grayer paper-- a nice touch. The characterization is complex and the topics of the history handled seriously and sensitively (though not sensitively enough for those who would prefer the civil rights era and other topics not be covered, I don't think.) The puzzle is a good meaty one and I think anyone who enjoyed the Westing Game will love this too....more
Interesting, and probably quite true to the period, but somewhat eerily evocative of Kipling's Puck of Pook's Hill Roman stories. Still a good enough Interesting, and probably quite true to the period, but somewhat eerily evocative of Kipling's Puck of Pook's Hill Roman stories. Still a good enough yarn....more
An interesting take on Roman history, specifically that leading up to the Triumverate, and the "Bona Dea Scandal." This young man, Metellus, isn't as An interesting take on Roman history, specifically that leading up to the Triumverate, and the "Bona Dea Scandal." This young man, Metellus, isn't as fun as Lindsay Davies' heroes, but Roberts packs a lot of information into his writing. And yet, and yet... it seems contrived. I would absolutely read another of these if I were bored, but I'm not panting to find out what happens with our narrator, his time on the family farm, Julius Cesar's niece, and/or the deplorable Clodius....more
I'm reserving that last star because, well, I don't know how African-Americans would view this book by a white author about a black slave girl.
HoweveI'm reserving that last star because, well, I don't know how African-Americans would view this book by a white author about a black slave girl.
However, I enjoyed it, especially because it portrayed how even though a black slave 'servant' might sometimes be allowed relative (servant-style*) luxury due to close association with someone in the owning family, being a slave still grated. I thought Rinaldi did a good job showing how leaving slavery meant leaving behind your home, family, and your past, and how hard leaving forever could be, despite the burden of being a slave and not being able to call your life your own.
Rinaldi made Oney an engaging character, and incorporated a lot of historical detail about both life on the Washington estates and the Washington lifestyle. Conflicted emotions about the Washingtons among their slaves seemed realistic to me. I had a harder time with the character of Oney's mother, especially as we don't have a historical background for her, and she's a very divided character. But overall, I was impressed by this book
*I say servant-style because in the colonial period, it wasn't unusual for any servants to be working 12-16 hours a day for small pay and room and board, so working long hours in a comparative cushy job and being given nice clothes and privileges would be relative luxury for a free servant. However, a free servant could leave if their job didn't suit, and had rights under the law, unlike a slave servant!...more
This is officially historical fiction, since it takes place in 1975. The tone/setting is somewhat reminiscent of the scholastic book club books of theThis is officially historical fiction, since it takes place in 1975. The tone/setting is somewhat reminiscent of the scholastic book club books of the 1970s and 1980s, especially the ones where one family member moves out (or threatens to) and the kid(s) are determined to bring the family back together... but that's where the resemblance ends. Raymie Nightingale is edgier, more like Rabble Starkey; there are complex things going on in the background of each of the three girls who meet at baton-twirling lessons from the champion. Raymie calls up her father's insurance business just to hear the office manager say "How many we protect you?" A somewhat wacky older citizen appears as mentor (then exits); girls try to do brave things, and sometimes fail; and sometimes the lesson you were not sure you would ever need, but that someone was determined to share with you (and you to learn it), saves everything....more
Four-year-old Bonnie, youngest in her Kentucky mountain family in the early 1900s, has small, family-type adventures in this wholesome* book. If you lFour-year-old Bonnie, youngest in her Kentucky mountain family in the early 1900s, has small, family-type adventures in this wholesome* book. If you like stories of the "how it was when I was young on the frontier" and early 20th c. children's lit, you'll find this a better fit for the Little House genre than most of the Little House spinoffs.
A little formulaic, but a good read. The author clearly did a lot of reading but I'm not sure her understanding of 19th century culture was completelyA little formulaic, but a good read. The author clearly did a lot of reading but I'm not sure her understanding of 19th century culture was completely incorporated into her plotting... but that's ok. I like her characters even if they seemed a little cardboard-y. While this is 'Christian fiction' there's no preaching, just characters that have a Christian spirituality and pray when it's appropriate. A light feel good read....more
This was a good solid, if somewhat uninspired, piece of historical fiction set during the era of the whaling trade. What I liked: Patience was a stronThis was a good solid, if somewhat uninspired, piece of historical fiction set during the era of the whaling trade. What I liked: Patience was a strong heroine, with quite reasonable doubts about the situation she was in. That she possessed high level mathematical talents-- and resulting navigator skills- were a great change of pace from the usual; combining that with skill in baking made for a good mix that was historically believable. There are lots of details about whaling, though even the scene with the first whale-catch isn't so graphic as to throw students off. There's lots here for even traditional kids of both genders to enjoy. It just lacked a certain spark for me....more
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