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marie_gg's review
5.0
An African-American scholar unearthed and subsequently published the first known piece of fiction written by a former slave. 1/3 of the book is his story of research and publication, 1/3 is the novel itself, and 1/3 is footnotes. Very interesting!
misajane79's review
3.0
While in NC, I attended a speech by Gates about this book. It's a great research story about following a hunch (that this manuscript had been written by an escaped slave in the 1850s) and uncovering some amazing things. The manuscript itself isn't so great, so I just read the intro stuff.
thereaderintherye's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
meagwhalen's review
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Really unique. I’ve never read anything else like it. Really appreciated the minimal editing.
liisu's review
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
katrinky's review
4.0
Only had time to read the introduction before returning this to the library, but the story of the acquisition and publishing of this narrative is equally as compelling as the work itself. I read particularly slack-jawed the parts where Gates details how historians came to feel for certain that Hannah Crafts was black, and not a white author passing for black, for abolitionist or other reasons. She treats blackness as the norm, first of all, and if she ever points out color at all, she does it after the personality (to say nothing of the humanity, which is also treated as default) of a character has been established. Gates points out that even an abolitionist like Beecher Stowe couldn't resist the unconscious 19th century racist vernacular, describing black characters FIRST as black, then MAYBE as worthwhile humans, and if worthwhile, than worthwhile IN SPITE of their color. I was so struck by the fact that this surprised even Gates, our generation's foremost African American scholar.
He says, "Although I had not thought about it much before, white writers of the 1850s (and well beyond) did tend to introduce Negro characters in their works in an awkward manner. Whereas black writers assumed the humanity of black characters as the default, as the baseline of characterization...white writers, operating on the reverse principle, used whiteness as the default for humanity..."
Any book that can teach Henry Louis Gates something can sure as heck teach ME something. Looking forward to reading the manuscript itself as soon as I can.
He says, "Although I had not thought about it much before, white writers of the 1850s (and well beyond) did tend to introduce Negro characters in their works in an awkward manner. Whereas black writers assumed the humanity of black characters as the default, as the baseline of characterization...white writers, operating on the reverse principle, used whiteness as the default for humanity..."
Any book that can teach Henry Louis Gates something can sure as heck teach ME something. Looking forward to reading the manuscript itself as soon as I can.
lgilbreth's review
adventurous
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Slavery, Religious bigotry, and Sexism
Moderate: Rape, Racism, and Torture
book_eddy's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
homosexual's review
5.0
My Booktube
Link to the Reading Black Classics Vlog
TW/CW: slavery, n word usage
5/5 stars BUT: I will say that since this novel was never “finished” and was still in the process of being drafted I am much kinder to it and not nearly as critical. I did the same thing when I read The Canterbury Tales.
I will also say that I didn’t read the introductory bits or the back matter. I am literally only judging this based of the novel itself.
I really liked the usage of Gothic and Sentimental tropes in this! It did a good job of setting the tone for the rest of the novel early on. Even later on, when the Gothic elements are not as apparent, because she sets the tone so well early on it is enough to carry throughout the novel. My interest carried throughout the novel, and the end notes did help clarify a few things that were lost on me.
I liked Hannah as our MC as well as our cast of character that come along to join/leave us. On further re-reads I would like to make note of a few things to see if there are parallels to be drawn between a few of the characters.
Link to the Reading Black Classics Vlog
TW/CW: slavery, n word usage
5/5 stars BUT: I will say that since this novel was never “finished” and was still in the process of being drafted I am much kinder to it and not nearly as critical. I did the same thing when I read The Canterbury Tales.
I will also say that I didn’t read the introductory bits or the back matter. I am literally only judging this based of the novel itself.
I really liked the usage of Gothic and Sentimental tropes in this! It did a good job of setting the tone for the rest of the novel early on. Even later on, when the Gothic elements are not as apparent, because she sets the tone so well early on it is enough to carry throughout the novel. My interest carried throughout the novel, and the end notes did help clarify a few things that were lost on me.
I liked Hannah as our MC as well as our cast of character that come along to join/leave us. On further re-reads I would like to make note of a few things to see if there are parallels to be drawn between a few of the characters.