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664 reviews for:
All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley's Sack, a Black Family Keepsake
Tiya Miles
4.12 AVERAGE
664 reviews for:
All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley's Sack, a Black Family Keepsake
Tiya Miles
4.12 AVERAGE
I struggled with this book. It's about an interesting artifact, but 385 pages was excessive. I think I would have liked it as a TED talk, or maybe as a work of historical fiction. There are a lot of historical tangents, which I've liked in, for example, The Library Book. But whereas Susan Orlean writes for a general audience, the language for much of this book was rather academic, which made it slow going. There were a lot of places where the historical record can't tell us anything certain about the hands through which this artifact passed. The author asks us, often in poetic language, to imagine a lot. There are also a lot of places where I felt like she was making points she had already made. I say this about a lot of authors, but more diligent editing might have been nice. I seriously considered not finishing it. But at that point, I had invested so much time in it, I wanted it to be counted for my yearly reading goal.
interesting idea to focus on a single item and understand its history. Good presentation of black woman and well researched. Some meandering with dicussion of textiles and pecans, but did learn some new things (Lowell MA was large provider of slave quality cotten for clothing, which was course and uncomfortable).
prefer a story telling of history (historical fiction), vs the statement of facts. Tiya Miles was good about adding texture and knowledgable interpretation of the 3 woman.
Tough to do research on black woman history as this was not well documented except by storytelling
prefer a story telling of history (historical fiction), vs the statement of facts. Tiya Miles was good about adding texture and knowledgable interpretation of the 3 woman.
Tough to do research on black woman history as this was not well documented except by storytelling
I thought the book would be written in more of a narrative but it was more historical of what could have happened. I felt like the importance of the role of textiles was beaten to the ground and circled back to too often. Maybe I was just expecting something different so I never got fully invested.
I read about half of this in print and half in audio, and I'd definitely recommend the print for the pretty pictures! I thought the premise of this book, and the facts presented, were very interesting, and it's a cool look into the process of researching and writing history, but it didn't quite connect with me as a reading experience. This definitely has more to do with my current reading preferences than with the book!
Historian Miles traces slavery’s horrors through the journey of a cotton sack. It’s passed from an enslaved South Carolina mother to her 9-year-old daughter who’s about to be sold. A great-granddaughter engraves it with the family’s stark historical record. Since virtually nothing is known about these women, this National Book Award-winner uses the lens of slavery to intuit their plights—kinda the opposite of Wilkerson’s (better) Warmth of Other Suns, which told the story of millions through 3 lives. The narrative stresses the value of artifacts. But chapters on hair, nuts & sewing are dry reads.
emotional
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
Heartbreaking, somehow mesmerizing - couldn’t tear myself away. Taught me more about American slavery than in my entire education. The details of how ppl survived the evil & torture of slavery are beautiful & also terrible. Made me cry more than once.
A window into the lives of three generations of enslaved women and their daughters as told by examining the make-up of and items in a sack gifted from enslaved mother to enslaved daughter as they were separated.
This felt like an extremely well written dissertation and I was impressed by how a single object could open a new lens into the horrors slavery and the treatment of black women in America. I’m always amazed at how authors can write so beautifully about such truly awful topics and events, and this was no exception.
It’s a slap in the face and should leave you with a bad taste in your mouth as a white person, but it will also warm your heart and remind you of the resilience and endurance of African American culture
This felt like an extremely well written dissertation and I was impressed by how a single object could open a new lens into the horrors slavery and the treatment of black women in America. I’m always amazed at how authors can write so beautifully about such truly awful topics and events, and this was no exception.
It’s a slap in the face and should leave you with a bad taste in your mouth as a white person, but it will also warm your heart and remind you of the resilience and endurance of African American culture
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
An absolutely phenomenal work of public history which traces the origin, context, and legacy of Ashley's sack. The object itself provides a powerful look into the power of love and resilience during a time of unimaginable cruelty and terror.
Thoughtful and written with care and love for enslaved women whose stories were largely erased throughout history.