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smalltownbookmom 's review for:
The Yellow Wife
by Sadeqa Johnson
Incredibly moving and meticulously researched reimagining of one mulatto slave woman’s life as a mistress (or “yellow wife”) to a cruel Jailer in Richmond, Virginia. Pheby is born into slavery but promised her freedom on her eighteenth birthday by her Plantation owning, white father. Her dream of freedom is thwarted however, when out of jealousy her father’s wife secretly sends Pheby away to a large jail/slave market. Once there Pheby catches the eye of the jailer and he takes her for himself. Together they have five children (plus the son Pheby had from her first love, Essex). The rest of the story is a true testament to the love and sacrifices a mother will make to try to give all of her children the freedom she was never able to achieve. Trigger warning there are some disturbing infant death scenes. Amazing debut for Sadequa Johnson > pairs really well with Robert Jones Jr’s debut, The prophets!!