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lievemealone's review
4.0
I've heard a lot of people hype up this book and recommend it, and I think it pretty much lived up to its reputation. My only quibble with this book is that the writing is a little weak at times (i.e., sometimes when discussing anecdotes from previously enslaved people, it's a little hard to figure out who the author is referring to when using third-person pronouns or phrases like "her mother") and can be dense and a little repetitive. This is a very small complaint, since the book is exceptionally well-researched and full of information. While I had assumed white women were involved in slaveholding, this book really broke down exactly how they participated.
I thought it was good that Jones-Rogers immediately breaks down the misconception that white women couldn't be slaveholders because the American South was an extremely patriarchal society and women couldn't own property. She really smashes that myth into microscopic pieces. She relies very heavily on anecdotes from formerly enslaved people and other primary sources like newspapers and court documents (apparently white women were very litigious when it came to their right to own slaves). I've seen some reviewers remark that they wish Jones-Rogers had used "actual data", but I disagree. I think that anecdotes can be excellent data when present in large numbers, and the author really does an excellent job of combining these anecdotes with newspaper advertisements and legal documents to paint a fairly clear picture of just how entrenched white women were in slavery.
As for whether this book is a difficult read or not, I personally found that it wasn't as graphic as I was expecting. There are some descriptions of violence towards enslaved people, but the tone is always fairly detached in my opinion. However, I imagine this book could be incredibly upsetting in many ways. While Jones-Rogers maintains a fairly distant and academic tone throughout the book, to the point that it reads more as a textbook, she doesn't shy away from the brutality of slavery at all. This includes the the quotes she pulls from primary sources: in her introduction, she says that she explicitly chose to leave in all uses of the n-word and other offensive or disparaging language for the following reason:
I very much agree with Jones-Rogers' reasoning on this point, though I do understand that there are many people who won't be comfortable reading this language.
Ultimately, I think I'd say this to anyone who is apprehensive about reading it: if you are unfamiliar with the more minute ways chattel slavery operated in America and think you can tolerate some upsetting material, then you should read this book. However, if you already have a good understanding of the atrocities of slavery and think this book would be incredibly upsetting to you, then I think you'd be fine not reading it. That said, I do think all my fellow white American women should very strongly consider reading this in order to fully understand the role we have played in white supremacy in America.
I thought it was good that Jones-Rogers immediately breaks down the misconception that white women couldn't be slaveholders because the American South was an extremely patriarchal society and women couldn't own property. She really smashes that myth into microscopic pieces. She relies very heavily on anecdotes from formerly enslaved people and other primary sources like newspapers and court documents (apparently white women were very litigious when it came to their right to own slaves). I've seen some reviewers remark that they wish Jones-Rogers had used "actual data", but I disagree. I think that anecdotes can be excellent data when present in large numbers, and the author really does an excellent job of combining these anecdotes with newspaper advertisements and legal documents to paint a fairly clear picture of just how entrenched white women were in slavery.
As for whether this book is a difficult read or not, I personally found that it wasn't as graphic as I was expecting. There are some descriptions of violence towards enslaved people, but the tone is always fairly detached in my opinion. However, I imagine this book could be incredibly upsetting in many ways. While Jones-Rogers maintains a fairly distant and academic tone throughout the book, to the point that it reads more as a textbook, she doesn't shy away from the brutality of slavery at all. This includes the the quotes she pulls from primary sources: in her introduction, she says that she explicitly chose to leave in all uses of the n-word and other offensive or disparaging language for the following reason:
"Ultimately, I decided to include the language used in these interviews because they are the best sources we have for understanding how enslaved people understood their lives and their worlds. In addition, making any changes to the text presented its own problems. Such revisions would sanitize the experience of these formerly enslaved people and make it difficult for readers to understand how they perceived what had happened to them. (xx)
I very much agree with Jones-Rogers' reasoning on this point, though I do understand that there are many people who won't be comfortable reading this language.
Ultimately, I think I'd say this to anyone who is apprehensive about reading it: if you are unfamiliar with the more minute ways chattel slavery operated in America and think you can tolerate some upsetting material, then you should read this book. However, if you already have a good understanding of the atrocities of slavery and think this book would be incredibly upsetting to you, then I think you'd be fine not reading it. That said, I do think all my fellow white American women should very strongly consider reading this in order to fully understand the role we have played in white supremacy in America.
tiffanywang29's review
4.0
Probably could have been an article. I think it's really important to highlight that white women were not bystanders to the violence of slavery but rather active participants. However, there were a lot of points where Jones-Rogers used "slaveowning women" when honestly it just seemed like what all slaveowners did. Again, not refuting that centering the violence of white women is important, but questioning how much of the evidence in this book really represented anything unique to the ways that white women interacted with slavery differently than white men.
vcastaneda12's review
3.0
I found it a bit boring. The narrator was very monotone.
The story was interesting to hear, the content was heavy at times. I did an audio version of this book.
The story was interesting to hear, the content was heavy at times. I did an audio version of this book.
bubblybing's review
I really liked the intro to this book. I get why the author has us follow different white women, but I kept getting lost with all the people, and I felt like it was repetitive. I liked the accounts from former slaves, but for some reason following the slave owners made it hard for me to stay engaged.
I learned so much from this though. It was interesting to learn about the socioeconomic reasons for why women owned slaves and all the legal loopholes women had to Lee their slaves.
We as a society act like women were barely culpable in slave owning, and this showed that that’s not true. By vilifying slave owners and removing nuance, we can act like it’s an issue that’s very removed from modern life. But these women were educated, compassionate, and independent, but often shaped by their upbringing. I think it would be hard for a white woman to read even just the intro of this book, and still be confident that she would never own slaves.
I learned so much from this though. It was interesting to learn about the socioeconomic reasons for why women owned slaves and all the legal loopholes women had to Lee their slaves.
We as a society act like women were barely culpable in slave owning, and this showed that that’s not true. By vilifying slave owners and removing nuance, we can act like it’s an issue that’s very removed from modern life. But these women were educated, compassionate, and independent, but often shaped by their upbringing. I think it would be hard for a white woman to read even just the intro of this book, and still be confident that she would never own slaves.
princxporkchop's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Kidnapping, Terminal illness, Slavery, Child abuse, Murder, Medical content, Medical trauma, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Blood, Child death, Genocide, Misogyny, Torture, Miscarriage, Racism, Ableism, Sexual assault, Colonisation, Death, Grief, Hate crime, Infertility, Physical abuse, Trafficking, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Confinement, Suicide, Sexual harassment, Rape, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, and Gore
emmbien's review
4.0
The tone of the book is dry and academic, but the horrors chronicled in it are vital for understanding white women’s role in slavery. It adds a perspective to the discourse on history, race, and gender which previous histories glossed over. Every aspect that was previously considered relegated to the role of men was perpetuated, maintained, and enjoyed by women. Some of the particularly horrific accounts center on documentation of women’s role in beating and mutilating enslaved people, as well as their crucial role in the commodification of the reproductive and sexual capabilities of Black women. It’s a tough read, but an important perspective as I seek to understand and face the role white women play in upholding white supremacy.
ciaranovellaa's review
I’m just not in the mood for historical content right now. I’m sure I’ll return to this later on in the year.
saden's review
3.0
Very informative…glad I used an audiobook because otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to finish. Reads like a lecture but so much good information that highlights some reoccurring behaviors of white women during slavery
stacilorraine's review
5.0
The research alone in this book is incredible.
As a white woman, the prevailing narrative of helplessness and passive consent in the mechanisms of slavery is, of course, comforting. It’s also a complete fabrication (and Jones-Rogers brought the receipts). I’m realizing how little I know about the true nature of slavery and the ways those histories are so entrenched in current life.
The chapter about motherhood in particular changed my perspective.
As a white woman, the prevailing narrative of helplessness and passive consent in the mechanisms of slavery is, of course, comforting. It’s also a complete fabrication (and Jones-Rogers brought the receipts). I’m realizing how little I know about the true nature of slavery and the ways those histories are so entrenched in current life.
The chapter about motherhood in particular changed my perspective.