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652 reviews for:
All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley's Sack, a Black Family Keepsake
Tiya Miles
4.12 AVERAGE
652 reviews for:
All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley's Sack, a Black Family Keepsake
Tiya Miles
4.12 AVERAGE
Miles is a wonderful writer and I loved the concept of this book. It was great to listen to, as I really felt as though I was being immersed in the story and could feel the locations, sense the history vibrating through the air. I wasn't familiar with the sack itself or its place in a museum or in history, but it was fascinating to get to learn about it in this format.
That said, I did feel at times that this book felt less like a deep historical dive or research project, and more like a narrative that was taking the scant evidence available and spinning a possible story. Which is meaningful in its own way, but perhaps not exactly what I was expecting going in. It isn't a huge surprise that there is a lack of primary sources when dealing with the history of enslaved people in America. Many families can only be traced so far back before the trail goes cold. The recreation of who Rose and Ashley were thus had to draw from a lot of assumptions and likely paths, but they weren't necessarily rooted in fact. This left a lot of the book to be filled with context and history of the area, of plantations, of the slave owners which is useful, but not necessarily what I was reading for.
So all-in-all, this was a really powerful story, but it did feel a bit stretched thin for a full length book/audiobook. Had I read this as a longform article, I think it would have had the impact I expected it to. But I still think it was a deserving winner of the National Book Award, and I'd be very interested in seeing what other stories and histories Miles explores next. (Also, this book has me determined to finally visit the National Museum of African American History and Culture, where Ashley's Sack has been on display since 2016).
That said, I did feel at times that this book felt less like a deep historical dive or research project, and more like a narrative that was taking the scant evidence available and spinning a possible story. Which is meaningful in its own way, but perhaps not exactly what I was expecting going in. It isn't a huge surprise that there is a lack of primary sources when dealing with the history of enslaved people in America. Many families can only be traced so far back before the trail goes cold. The recreation of who Rose and Ashley were thus had to draw from a lot of assumptions and likely paths, but they weren't necessarily rooted in fact. This left a lot of the book to be filled with context and history of the area, of plantations, of the slave owners which is useful, but not necessarily what I was reading for.
So all-in-all, this was a really powerful story, but it did feel a bit stretched thin for a full length book/audiobook. Had I read this as a longform article, I think it would have had the impact I expected it to. But I still think it was a deserving winner of the National Book Award, and I'd be very interested in seeing what other stories and histories Miles explores next. (Also, this book has me determined to finally visit the National Museum of African American History and Culture, where Ashley's Sack has been on display since 2016).
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
This was a difficult book to rate. I didn't like it. I found it tedious and repetitive throughout, and downright boring in parts. However, that's probably just me. I wanted to find out about Ashley's keepsake sack, but the information the author has is both too little and way, way too much. Going back to the founding of the Carolinas, we learn about rice crops and cotton textiles, the advent of enslaved Africans in the area, and all of the ways in which they suffered. We learn when and how the sack was made and what it was originally intended to carry. Or rather, what sacks of its kind were meant to carry, because this is one anonymous sack among thousands that were produced.
As for this sack, we know the information that was embroidered on it by a descendant of Ashley. And that's pretty much it. The author goes through slave sale records and estate inventories in search of any clues re: what became of Ashley and her mother, Rose, and comes up empty. There's a lot of guesswork, but since neither name is particularly uncommon, and slaves who died went unrecorded in both sales records, not being saleable, and estate inventories, see above, there's not actually any solid evidence, beyond the embroidery on the sack, of the existence of either of these women. The author tries to follow the trail of this Rose and that Ashley, but she's just guessing. There's no way to know if any of the Roses or Ashleys she attempts to trace are the ones she's looking for. That small tragedy is the most significant aspect of the book, in my opinion, and while the author acknowledges and speaks of this tragedy, she also seems to gloss over it in her eagerness to ascribe a lineage to the sack.
Except for the mind-numbing repetitiveness of the introduction and first chapter, the information is correct and useful, as far as what can be known. But none of it is new to me, and the way it's arranged with a pinpoint focus on South Carolina is frustratingly narrow. I suppose it would be interesting for someone who is new to US history, who has never heard of African chattel slavery, or who reads one book every February for Black History Month. But I already knew this stuff. I came looking for Ashley, and Ashley isn't here.
As for this sack, we know the information that was embroidered on it by a descendant of Ashley. And that's pretty much it. The author goes through slave sale records and estate inventories in search of any clues re: what became of Ashley and her mother, Rose, and comes up empty. There's a lot of guesswork, but since neither name is particularly uncommon, and slaves who died went unrecorded in both sales records, not being saleable, and estate inventories, see above, there's not actually any solid evidence, beyond the embroidery on the sack, of the existence of either of these women. The author tries to follow the trail of this Rose and that Ashley, but she's just guessing. There's no way to know if any of the Roses or Ashleys she attempts to trace are the ones she's looking for. That small tragedy is the most significant aspect of the book, in my opinion, and while the author acknowledges and speaks of this tragedy, she also seems to gloss over it in her eagerness to ascribe a lineage to the sack.
Except for the mind-numbing repetitiveness of the introduction and first chapter, the information is correct and useful, as far as what can be known. But none of it is new to me, and the way it's arranged with a pinpoint focus on South Carolina is frustratingly narrow. I suppose it would be interesting for someone who is new to US history, who has never heard of African chattel slavery, or who reads one book every February for Black History Month. But I already knew this stuff. I came looking for Ashley, and Ashley isn't here.
A journey into the intimacies of slavery that I'd never known before. Using Ruth's tote as a medium, Miles take us on an equally enlightening and tragic tale of a mothers persistent love prevailing over insurmountable obstacles. For me, no text or non-fiction book has ever painted the tales of southern slavery in the 1700's and forward like Tiya Miles. This is a must read.
Tiya Miles has woven a beautifully researched intimate portrait of the lives of generations of black women, from the formerly enslaved to the turn of the 20th century. She zooms in on the personal and intimate aspects of these women's lives, never losing their uniqueness and individual identities, as she also zooms out to the greater context of the lives of black women throughout American history. Highly recommend: lyrical writing, and shows a labor of love that is very worth the read.
This book was not what I expected. I thought it would be a story with characters and dialogue, based on a friend’s recommendation. It reads more like nonfiction, similar to Braiding Sweetgrass. Very informative and factual.
A few thoughts:
1. This book is very well written.
2. The story of Rose, Ashley and Ruth is heartbreaking. I couldn’t wait to read this book because I’d heard about the sack before and have never forgotten it.
3. I think she tried her best, but the author was not able to turn up much evidence on what became of Rose, Ashley and Ruth.
4. Because of number 3, there is a lot of filler in this book. A LOT. Almost to the point that the author really should not have bothered writing this. The book is well written but all over the place. The author tried to use general information to flesh out the scant records she could find on Rose, Ashley and Ruth and it just did not work. I found my eyes glazing over at the end and I was ready to move onto the next book.
Rose, Ashley and Ruth deserved better. Three stars.
1. This book is very well written.
2. The story of Rose, Ashley and Ruth is heartbreaking. I couldn’t wait to read this book because I’d heard about the sack before and have never forgotten it.
3. I think she tried her best, but the author was not able to turn up much evidence on what became of Rose, Ashley and Ruth.
4. Because of number 3, there is a lot of filler in this book. A LOT. Almost to the point that the author really should not have bothered writing this. The book is well written but all over the place. The author tried to use general information to flesh out the scant records she could find on Rose, Ashley and Ruth and it just did not work. I found my eyes glazing over at the end and I was ready to move onto the next book.
Rose, Ashley and Ruth deserved better. Three stars.
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Ashley, Rose, Ruth…
I intone their names, in honor and remembrance of so many like them.
This book is a marvel! Extremely well researched, evidenced by the amazing footnotes chapter! I read every single entry. Amazing. Added some more material to the TBR list.
Ok! I do not read much historical non fiction. Especially about slave narratives. This book, while fulfilling my souls need to know, also filled me with great sorrow. All that we are, all that we’ve done, all who’ve we’ve become, is mostly only evident in our present time. Our history, so haphazardly preserved, because we weren’t deemed human, haunts the descendants of the enslaved. This haunting need to know who I am is what drives me to read as much as I can find about it. My own family cannot trace our genealogy back more than 5-6 generations and it kills me. Through Ancestry.com we’ve gotten only as far as what country in Africa our ancestors were stolen from. Even that small tidbit filled me with such knowing.
Tiya Miles’ dedication and endurance to flesh out the history of these three mostly unknown women and their trajectories is a true and honest labour of love. Whatever Miles couldn’t solidly find about these women she drew from other recorded evidence of the time. Miles chronicles four generations of women who without her and the amazing discover of Ashley’s sack would have faded into history.
This book has solidified my trip to the African American Museum in Washington DC! I need to lay my eyes on all of the history it contains and now, I need to bear witness to Ashley’s Sack!
I intone their names, in honor and remembrance of so many like them.
This book is a marvel! Extremely well researched, evidenced by the amazing footnotes chapter! I read every single entry. Amazing. Added some more material to the TBR list.
Ok! I do not read much historical non fiction. Especially about slave narratives. This book, while fulfilling my souls need to know, also filled me with great sorrow. All that we are, all that we’ve done, all who’ve we’ve become, is mostly only evident in our present time. Our history, so haphazardly preserved, because we weren’t deemed human, haunts the descendants of the enslaved. This haunting need to know who I am is what drives me to read as much as I can find about it. My own family cannot trace our genealogy back more than 5-6 generations and it kills me. Through Ancestry.com we’ve gotten only as far as what country in Africa our ancestors were stolen from. Even that small tidbit filled me with such knowing.
Tiya Miles’ dedication and endurance to flesh out the history of these three mostly unknown women and their trajectories is a true and honest labour of love. Whatever Miles couldn’t solidly find about these women she drew from other recorded evidence of the time. Miles chronicles four generations of women who without her and the amazing discover of Ashley’s sack would have faded into history.
This book has solidified my trip to the African American Museum in Washington DC! I need to lay my eyes on all of the history it contains and now, I need to bear witness to Ashley’s Sack!