Title: To
Be A Slave
Written by: Julius Lester
Paperback, $6.99
Recently I read the book To Be A
Slave by Julius Lester. The book is a compilation of testimonies given by
former slaves in a series of interviews conducted by the American Anti-Slavery Society
supplemented with comments and notes written by the author. It covers the
history of slavery from the voyages of the first slave ships to the end of the
Civil War.
The book is a compelling firsthand
account of what it was like to live as a slave in America. Lester covers
the topics of transportation to the New World, the life of the average slave,
slave auctions, slave rebellions and uprisings, and reactions to the
Emancipation Proclamation and newfound freedom. To Be A Slave
demonstrates the cruelty of slavery and recounts horrifying tales of inhumanity
on the part of the slave owners.
Lester's notes are both enlightening and
shocking, and they also clarify some of the slang and sometimes confusing dialect of
the interviewees. The book is very cohesive and goes from topic to topic in a
sensible way. The author's choice of selections perfectly conveys the
information he intended to convey. The book does have some downsides, though.
While Lester's notes are informative, they sometime fail to explain certain slang
words. The narratives sometimes got very lengthy, and I believe more cutting
could have been done on the author's part. Also, I would have appreciated
seeing stories of slavery from outside America, despite Lester's saying that
the slavery in America was the most barbaric and cruel.
For these reasons, and
also because this style of writing is not my favorite, I give To Be A Slave
3 ½ chocolate bars out of five. I thought the ending of this book with the end
of the Civil War, was fitting and a good place to end. I would recommend this
book to anyone older than 10 due to mentions of nudity, violence, and
profanity. Overall, To Be A Slave was a gripping account of the horrors
of slavery in America.
Rating: 3 ½ chocolate bars out of 5
Cover Thoughts- I thought the cover was simple yet fitting.
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