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Reviews tagging 'Torture'
A Kick in the Belly: Women, Slavery and Resistance by Stella Dadzie
2 reviews
ecobookworm's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Wow, what a book! This is a valuable record of the particular horrors that women suffered during slavery in the Caribbean, and the role they played in perseverance and resistance. It's a difficult read in terms of content, for obvious reasons - the horrors of slavery and the specific toll taken on women is graphically detailed. Information will be familiar to anyone with a background in Caribbean history, but the focus on women's stories, voices and experiences makes it worth your while.
I especially appreciated the exploration of African background, heritage, knowledge and traditions, and how they were brought over to the Caribbean. The book is laid out in a very logical and comprehensive way, covering everything from the development of slavery and role of women leaders in resistance, to the Middle Passage, to life on the plantations, punishments, reproductive issues and rebellions. I was interested in this topic as I was already somewhat familiar with it, having done a final project on women's suffering during slavery for History class in high school. There's a depth of information here that's truly revealing, and as much as it's horrifying, it's also inspiring to see the ways that women were able to resist. Much of history hasn't captured that, I'm so glad this book exists! The focus on the Caribbean makes it particularly valuable to those interested in feminist and Caribbean history.
It's also written in an accessible and non-academic way that's quite approachable, I'd recommend it to anyone interested in the topic. I listened to the audiobook on scribd, which was very well done and not too long, about 6 hours. Do keep in mind though that there are some illustrations in the print version that you'll miss on the audio.
I especially appreciated the exploration of African background, heritage, knowledge and traditions, and how they were brought over to the Caribbean. The book is laid out in a very logical and comprehensive way, covering everything from the development of slavery and role of women leaders in resistance, to the Middle Passage, to life on the plantations, punishments, reproductive issues and rebellions. I was interested in this topic as I was already somewhat familiar with it, having done a final project on women's suffering during slavery for History class in high school. There's a depth of information here that's truly revealing, and as much as it's horrifying, it's also inspiring to see the ways that women were able to resist. Much of history hasn't captured that, I'm so glad this book exists! The focus on the Caribbean makes it particularly valuable to those interested in feminist and Caribbean history.
It's also written in an accessible and non-academic way that's quite approachable, I'd recommend it to anyone interested in the topic. I listened to the audiobook on scribd, which was very well done and not too long, about 6 hours. Do keep in mind though that there are some illustrations in the print version that you'll miss on the audio.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Abortion and Rape
richthegreat's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
4.75
An excellent book, that centers women's voices in the terrible history of white violence and terror. It is pretty graphic in parts so prepare yourself before you read it, but you should read it. It's a very good book for white people to read, we need to learn our true history and the tremendous harm and pain we have caused.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Miscarriage, Murder, Physical abuse, Racism, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Torture, Trafficking, and Violence
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