A review by gizadaemon
Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe

4.0

Rife with white-savior-complex and an othering of African/Black people that hasn't aged well, this book, nonetheless, is shockingly progressive for its time. Not only was it such an anti-slavery sensation that nearly 30 books were written as angry responses to its publication and success in the decade following its release, but it demonstrates strong feminist values and fairly criticizes the church for its apathy and hypocrisy at the time. I was very impressed that most of the book is based on stories she heard from actual escaped slaves (as opposed to the anti-Tom literature which appears to be almost entirely fiction invented by those who benefited from slavery), and continue to be baffled as to why my fellow southerners fight to defend the "honor" of their pro-slave ancestors. Just admit they were products of an evil time and that they made mistakes. Try to be better. It's not that hard.