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Reviews tagging 'War'
She Came to Slay: The Life and Times of Harriet Tubman by Erica Armstrong Dunbar
3 reviews
kobooks's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Racism, and Violence
Moderate: War and Medical content
Minor: Rape
leweylibrary's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
3.5
I appreciate this book for what it is, but I do wish it had been so much more. It's meant to be a short but impactful and approachable book about Harriet Tubman and her legacy, and it accomplishes that pretty well. One of the major themes in the book is how she was so much more than a conductor on the Underground Railroad, but a lot of these other things that she was aren't talked about in much detail at all. This felt like the Idea B. Wells book I read earlier this year--yes, I learned some things about that person, but it felt like a lot of stones went uncovered. I wanted more about her as a person, especially her more personal life which was glossed over pretty quickly in the beginning and throughout.
Lastly, it bugged me that there were so many places where the author said "we can't have known what she thought about x, but..." And usually would go on to say how she was such a humble, lovely person that sure maybe it might have upset her, but she was so gracious that it was fine. Like I highly doubt Harriet Tubman was as squeaky clean as this book makes her seem, and that's okay! I prefer that really because she's not actually a flawless, perfect hero because she's human 🤷♀️
Lastly, it bugged me that there were so many places where the author said "we can't have known what she thought about x, but..." And usually would go on to say how she was such a humble, lovely person that sure maybe it might have upset her, but she was so gracious that it was fine. Like I highly doubt Harriet Tubman was as squeaky clean as this book makes her seem, and that's okay! I prefer that really because she's not actually a flawless, perfect hero because she's human 🤷♀️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Violence, Death, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Colonisation, Torture, Sexism, and War
Moderate: Sexual assault
Minor: Medical content
ollie_again's review against another edition
informative
fast-paced
4.0
It's a good primer for people who know nothing about Harriet Tubman, but if you have a solid knowledge of the antebellum South and the history of slavery in the US, this does not go that into detail as I would like it to. In places it felt like Slavery in the US 101.
So not a bad book at all, but I did not learn many new things because I studied the topic in depth before.
So not a bad book at all, but I did not learn many new things because I studied the topic in depth before.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, and Racism
Moderate: War, Sexism, Violence, Chronic illness, and Torture
Minor: Rape
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