What is the last book you read in February? I finished
this book up on the very last day of the month just in time to finish up
#blackhistory month.
At Magnolia Row, Virginia, Henri starts a new life as
an enslaved man. He remembers freedom in
Africa and yearns for it again. He falls
in love with another enslaved man, Luke, who has suffered abuse his entire life
from his white enslaver, Junior. When
the cruelty goes too far, Luke and Henri take matters into their own hands. Their
actions will inspire others who saw what happened and realize they have the
power to make a change.
My thoughts on this novel:
· Each chapter is long and is an individual linked story (four stories total).
· Josephine is a quiet woman, but when the abuse becomes too much, she takes matters into her own hands. It was interesting in the authors note at the end at she was based on two different women named Josephine and their true stories.
· Charity Butler was in Pennsylvania for enough days for her to declare her freedom. She marries and has two children only to have her old enslaver try to get her back with a famous lawyer, Thaddeus Stevens, and a trial. This story was heartbreaking.
· I had always heard of Thaddeus Stevens in history as an abolitionist. I didn’t realize he was the lawyer in this type of case in the past that sent a woman and her children born free back to slavery.
· Nathanial is a black man who owns slaves and is very cruel. Will he get is comeuppance?
· In this book, violence begat violence.
· The story was very cleverly written. It takes that starting main event and from this event, other acts of rebellion spread like a flame.
· This book was almost too horrifying to read at times with the violence against the enslaved and the violence back from the enslaved. I thought it was over the top at times only to discover in the author’s note that it was based on actual true events. Our true history is horrifying.
· I was debating with someone online yesterday and they told me that it was my “opinion” that the southern generals in the Civil War were traitors trying to keep in place the enslavement of another race. This is not an opinion, but fact. We need to stop teaching the lost cause myth and we need to embrace books like Burn Down Master’s house which vividly describe how cruel and inhumane slavery really was. It’s uncomfortable, but it is our history. This story did tell of hope. It is also interesting that the true stories of enslaved people that did rebel have been kept in the dark.
Favorite Quotes:
“Misinformation is an old, strong tool: it distorts history, manipulates narratives,
and fuels power. Misinformation makes it
possible to win elections, spark wars, and turn neighbors into enemies with the
stroke of a pen or a simple click. The
danger of being misled is more than ignorance; it’s political and social vulnerability. A society untethered from truth can be easily
controlled, its people divided by lies while the oligarchies consolidate their power.”
“Henri was a man with a spirit too wild to be caged;
no amount of punishment, no beating, no harsh words could bend him into the
shape of a proper field hand. His rage
was a monsoon, a rage he could not cast aside like she or Luke could.”
Overall, I was disturbed by Burn Down Master’s House
by Clay Cane, and I can’t stop thinking about it. It was a cleverly written book about the
enslaved people who had enough and took matters into their own hands to win
their own freedom.
Book Source: Thank-you
to Kensington Books and Between the Chapters Book Club for a review copy of
this novel.
