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A review by lora_h
Iola Leroy: Shadows Uplifted by Frances E.W. Harper
4.0
A Mississippi plantation owner frees, educates & marries a former slave whom he passes as white. The story follows his middle child, Iola Leroy, from her privileged childhood to the devastation brought on their family by the American Civil War.
Written in the late 19th century, the book's style is a product of its time - plot plays second fiddle to social commentary, tropes stand in for characters. So rather than a suspension of disbelief, what the reader experiences is the pure & passionate voice of Frances E. W. Harper herself. It's the voice of an amazing mind that expertly dissects how a hegemony can exploit, debase, & fear its helpless minority.
If writing today, Mrs Harper would probably be panned as a Caucasian's apologist. Writing in the 1890s & a WOC herself, she was fearless. If ever I'm given that dinner attended by my favourite authors, living or dead, I would hope to be seated next to Frances E. W. Harper.
Written in the late 19th century, the book's style is a product of its time - plot plays second fiddle to social commentary, tropes stand in for characters. So rather than a suspension of disbelief, what the reader experiences is the pure & passionate voice of Frances E. W. Harper herself. It's the voice of an amazing mind that expertly dissects how a hegemony can exploit, debase, & fear its helpless minority.
If writing today, Mrs Harper would probably be panned as a Caucasian's apologist. Writing in the 1890s & a WOC herself, she was fearless. If ever I'm given that dinner attended by my favourite authors, living or dead, I would hope to be seated next to Frances E. W. Harper.