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Reviews tagging 'Grief'
The Half Has Never Been Told: Slavery and the Making of American Capitalism by Edward E. Baptist
1 review
ehmannky's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
Whenever I feel like I have a good grasp on how horrific and moral bankrupt slavery in the new world was, I read or learn something knew that just lets me know that I will never understand the depths of the horror that this was. Baptist argues really well that slavery is the main driving factor that turned America into a global superpower, and that the slave-owners in the south would stoop to new lows constantly to turn out higher profits and higher yields at the expense of the enslaved. I think this makes a really good argument that the Civil War to end slavery in the United States was not only good for ending slavery, but it was necessary, because there is no way that these slave capitalists would have ever stopped owning people on moral grounds or because they would suddenly find free labor as more efficient. I loved emphasizing that America's capitalist growth came from a base of torture, and I really appreciated that he would connect things like forced migration trails moving enslaved people south to modern day highways, roads, and other locations.
I think the only thing I didn't care for were the multiple asides that were spent defending Abraham Lincoln. I don't think he needed as much defense as Baptist gives to him (I am also aware this book is over a decade old and there has been a significant shift in how people approach Lincoln's legacy). There was also a little bit in the epilogue where Baptist connects slavery practices to modern day capitalism in America, and I think it would be an interesting expansion on his thesis, though that may be enough information for a whole other book and this one was already pretty hefty.
I think the only thing I didn't care for were the multiple asides that were spent defending Abraham Lincoln. I don't think he needed as much defense as Baptist gives to him (I am also aware this book is over a decade old and there has been a significant shift in how people approach Lincoln's legacy). There was also a little bit in the epilogue where Baptist connects slavery practices to modern day capitalism in America, and I think it would be an interesting expansion on his thesis, though that may be enough information for a whole other book and this one was already pretty hefty.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Murder, Sexual violence, Blood, Torture, Trafficking, Grief, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Sexual assault, Rape, Police brutality, Slavery, Sexual harassment, Racial slurs, Racism, Kidnapping, and Death
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