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A review by kristinisreading
They Were Her Property: White Women as Slave Owners in the American South by Stephanie E. Jones-Rogers
4.0
3 1/2 stars. Tough book to rate. The subject and content is very important and informative. The role of white women in the institution of slavery is important to examine, and like in many situations, the data is hard to find. So much, history is defined by men and about men. The book uses letters, newspaper advertisements, enslaved people’s own recollections from interviews to build a counter argument that white women were involved actively in slavery.
However important the content, the style of the book is academic. Most of the book was dry and especially at the beginning, repetitive. I wanted a more compelling read. I wanted to be able to rave about the book so other people would read it. I ended up feeling like I needed to push myself to keep reading. The last couple of chapters picked up. In the first part of the book, the repetition of the idea that white women wanted to protect their property rights was so devoid of emotion, that at times you would forget the property in question was a person. There are some stories of abuse and bad behavior, but the picture of women fighting the system to maintain their property rights didn’t resonate with the human consequence of what they were fighting for ownership of. I was disappointed because the academic style seems like it will limit who gets this message.
However important the content, the style of the book is academic. Most of the book was dry and especially at the beginning, repetitive. I wanted a more compelling read. I wanted to be able to rave about the book so other people would read it. I ended up feeling like I needed to push myself to keep reading. The last couple of chapters picked up. In the first part of the book, the repetition of the idea that white women wanted to protect their property rights was so devoid of emotion, that at times you would forget the property in question was a person. There are some stories of abuse and bad behavior, but the picture of women fighting the system to maintain their property rights didn’t resonate with the human consequence of what they were fighting for ownership of. I was disappointed because the academic style seems like it will limit who gets this message.