Burn Down Master’s House by Clay Cane

 

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.

Jazz by Toni Morrison

 

Title:  Jazz

Author:  Toni Morrison

Narrated by:  Toni Morrison

Publisher: Random House Audio

Length: Approximately 3 hours

Source: Purchased from Audible and checked out a physical copy of the book from Kewaunee Public Library

Do you have a favorite jazz song or musician?  I have always loved the classic songs by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong.

In 1926, a middle-aged man named Joe murders his teenage girlfriend, Dorcas.  His wife, Violet, attacks the corpse at the funeral and stabs it across the face, earning her the nickname, “Violence.”  How did they end up in this situation?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       I read Jazz by Toni Morrison this month for the Classics Buddy read hosted by @Dees.Reads.

·       The audiobook is read by the author, but it is abridged so I also had the physical book from the library to fill in the gaps.

·       I loved the jazzy music and sound effects in the audiobook and Toni Morrison reading her own work.

·       There is a great forward by Toni Morrison that sets up the book.  She was inspired by seeing an old picture of a pretty girl in a coffin and the description that went with the picture.  How creepy and interesting.

·       This is the second book in a series after Beloved.  Beloved centered on mother love and Jazz centers on couple love.  They are both set at different points in Black history, otherwise they are not related.

·       Jazz is a beautifully written book that flows like a jazz song.  Like jazz, the narrative does not flow the way you would expect it too, which made it hard to understand at times.

·       Just like when I recently read Beloved, I found using SparkNotes to be helpful after I read it to make sure I understood what I had read.

·       I am still confused though – why didn’t Joe go to jail for shooting Dorcas?

·       The setting for the book was mostly 1920s Harlem, but there are plenty of flashbacks to the past.

·       Violet and Joe’s marriage gets better after the shooting.  I guess they were finally about to talk through their problems, but I was disturbed about Joe.  He, a man in his fifties, was so upset that his teenage girlfriend had decided to date men her own age that he shot her.  I think Violet deserved a better man, but she also does bad by slashing Dorcas’s face at the funeral.  This was meant to represent her sadness as she wanted to be a mother, but her and Joe had decided not to have children and she realized she wanted to be a mother too late.  Violet learns she has to take control of her own life and happiness.

Overall, Jazz by Toni Morrison was an interesting novel written in a unique way.  I am glad I read this book.

The Street by Ann Petry

 

Title: The Street

Author:  Ann Petry

Narrated by:  Danielle Deadwyler

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Length: Approximately 13 hours and 25 minutes

Source: Audiobook Purchased from Audible

Have you “discovered” any new authors lately through Instagram?  I recently discovered Ann Petry through various Instagram posts and being a part of the Classics Buddy Read in February with @deesreads.  The Street was published in 1946 and I can’t believe I had never heard of this book or author until recently.

Lutie Johnson is a young black woman struggling to raise her son as a single mother in Harlem in the 1940s.  She wants a better life for her son Bub.  She believed in her marriage until her husband Jim couldn’t get a job.  Rather than lose their home, Lutie became a life in housekeeper for a rich family.  She could only go home to visit for four days a month.  Jim found a new woman who moved into their home while Lutie was gone.  This leads Lutie to move to a dumpy apartment on the street.  Will Lutie and Bub be able to make a better life for themselves?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       This novel had well developed, complex characters.  It is told through many points of view which I found compelling.

·       It captures the trials and tribulations of poor African Americans in New York City during the 1940s.  Trying to get by was very hard and the oppression of hunger and no available jobs weighs them down.

·       I was confused for a bit in the novel when Lutie would go to Jamica to visit.  I was like – why, she sure is traveling a long way all the time.  I ended up looking it up and it’s a neighborhood in New York City.

·       The building supervisor, Jones, and his lust for Lutie was so scary.  It was built up through the novel and very suspenseful.

·       My favorite character was Mrs. Hedges.  She watched the neighborhood and knew everything that was going on.  She had a will to succeed and helped people out.  She was a madame to make money off of other women, so she was a complicated person.

·       Lutie kept struggling to make a living for her and Bub, but racially, sexually, and economically, the world was working against her.  Instead of helping her out, people just kept trying to take advantage of her.

·       This novel had quite the ending, I can’t stop thinking about it.  Lutie was caught in an impossible situation with no good solution.

·       I want to read more books by this author.  Have you read any other her other books?  If so, what do you recommend?

Overall, The Street by Ann Petry was an excellent, well-crafted novel with compelling characters and storyline.  It has kept me thinking and prompted a good discussion in the Classics Buddy Read.

The Light We Carry by Michelle Obama

 

Title:  The Light We Carry:  Overcoming in Uncertain Times

Author:  Michelle Obama

Narrated by:  Michelle Obama

Publisher: Random House Audio

Length: Approximately 9 hours and 59 minutes

Source: Checked out with Libby through the Kewaunee Public Library.  Physical copy was a Christmas gift.  Thank-you!

 

What have been some good inspirational books that you have read lately?

I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook of The Light We Carry:  Overcoming in Uncertain Times by Michelle Obama in February.  I love first ladies and hearing their personal stories.  My thoughts on this book:

·       This book had Michelle Obama’s thoughts on the state of the world coming out of the COVID lockdown and how to stay connected.  I thought this was all good and thoughtful information.

·       I enjoyed the personal vignettes on her life throughout the book.  I also enjoyed her theme of aiming high while moving forward with life.

·       I liked the discussion on how difficult it is to make new friends when you live in the White House.

·       I loved hearing more of the love story between Barack and Michelle Obama.  I especially like that Barack had a list for why they should date when he was trying to convince Michelle.  He sounded like an engineer.

·       This book was a great mix of advice, self-help, and real life experiences.

·       I read this reading this book in the physical copy as well as listening to Michelle Obama narrate the audiobook.  I love it when authors narrate their own books.

Overall, The Light We Carry was both an inspiring book and a book to learn more about the former first lady.

King: A Life by Jonathan Eig

 

Title:  King:  A Life

Author:  Jonathan Eig

Narrated by:  Dion Graham

Publisher: Macmillan Audio

Length: Approximately 20 hours and 45 minutes

Source: Review Copy from NetGalley

 

Have you ever read a biography about Martin Luther King Jr.?  I realized when this new biography of Martin Luther King Jr. came out last year that I’ve only read biographies of him written for children and it was more than time for me to read a biography of him written for adults.

King:  A Life is the first major new biography about Martin Luther King Jr in over forty years.   As it states in the introduction, this book is the biography of the real man, not of a saint.  He was a man with sins, doubts, and depression, but he also had a great vision for mankind and was a loving father.    It was a comprehensive biography that included interviews with a lot of different people in King’s life, his father’s unpublished biography, other biographies of those in his life (like his wife), and the FBI files that have been released.  It was a great overall look at King the man and the work that he did with his life.  My main takeaways were:

·       King suffered from what is now thought to be depression and anxiety.  He had anxiety attacks when he talked about how he may be killed.

·       People were trying to kill him all the time.  He was stabbed in the chest a book signing.  A bomb was place at this family home, but luckily didn’t go off.  He was constantly under threat.

·       It seemed strange that so many people wanted to use violence against a man who promoted non-violence.

·       White people thought that King was radical, while black people thought he was too conservative.

·       King cheated on Coretta Scott King from the moment they were dating and all through their married life.  I had a really hard time with this.  I know that other powerful men at the time such as JFK did the same thing, but King was a pastor.  The flagrant flouting of the ten commandments really bothered me. 

·       Speaking of Coretta Scott King, I want to read more about her.  She was a strong and smart woman on her own right that had to put her ambitions aside to become Martin Luther King Jr.’s wife.

·       The FBI and President Johnson were obsessed with King’s extramarital affairs and bringing him down.   

·       King’s children found out about his death on TV which I thought was heartbreaking.

·       King tried to make a social change.  Even though he used nonviolent methods, it caused strife, riots, burnings, personal persecution, and assassination.

·       The amount that Martin Luther King Jr. accomplished before dying at age 39 is amazing.

·       I loved the narrator of this audiobook, Dion Graham.  He had a deep soothing voice that was wonderful for narration.  He was also able to capture King’s cadence when he read quotes by him.

Overall, King:  A Life by Jonathan Eig was a fascinating and deep look into the man behind the martyr.  I am glad that I read this book.

Soldier: The Life of Colin Powell by Karen DeYoung

 

Title:  Soldier:  The Life of Colin Powell

Author:  Karen DeYoung

Narrated by:  Coleen Marlo

Publisher: Random House Audio

Length: Approximately 23 hours and 12 minutes

Source: Checked out with Libby through the Kewaunee Public Library.  Thank-you!

What modern day political or military figure would you like to learn more about?  I was in middle school during the Gulf War when I first heard of Colin Powell.  I admired him and his career after that, but I realized when he passed away that I did not know that much about his life. 

Solider:  The Life of Colin Powell tells the story of Colin’s life from his birth through his role as Secretary of State in the George W. Bush administration.  I learned a lot from this book.  I thought it was very interesting that Powell’s parents were Jamaican immigrants in the Bronx and that very much shaped his personality and ethics. He had very different views on race because of his parent’s heritage.   He joined the ROTC while earning his geology degree in college and joined the Army after graduating.  He loved serving his country and found that he was able to rise up the ranks in the army through his abilities.  He eventually became a four-star General, the National Security Advisor, the Joint Chief of Staff Chairman, and finally the Secretary of State.  He served in Vietnam and successfully lead the military through Desert Storm in the early nineties.

Listening to this audiobook was a good review of modern U.S. history.  Powell was a very popular person in the United States and was an independent before becoming Republican in 1995.  He considered running for President and I know my Dad always regretted that he didn’t as he really wanted to vote for him.   Powell had a very successful career which only seemed to have a downside when he became the Secretary of State.  The George W. Bush administration had a lot of internal problems that hampered Powell.  After Powell gave his speech to the United Nations calling for war in Iraq, he faced a lot of political fall-out when no weapons of mass destruction were found in Iraq.  It was a very unfortunate end to his otherwise great career.  It was also very un-Powell like as he had always stressed being prepared for such action and making sure the United States was successful and had an exit strategy.  He was a good soldier overall and always followed the direction of his commander in chief.

I enjoyed that author Karen DeYoung interviewed a wide swath of people for this book and was able to put together a riveting biography.

I enjoyed listening to this on audiobook, except for one item.  The audiobook was obviously originally on CD as it kept saying, “end of Disc X” all of the way through the audio.  I thought this was very annoying.

Master Slave Husband Wife by Ilyon Woo

 

Title:  Master Slave Husband Wife: An Epic Journey from Slavery to Freedom

Author:  Ilyon Woo

Narrated by:  Janina Edwards and Leon Nixon

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Length: Approximately 12 hours and 54 minutes

Source: Review Copy from Simon & Schuster Audio.  Thank you @simonandschuster #BookClubFavorites for the free books!

What book would you like to see made into a movie?  Master Slave Husband Wife is the true story of Ellen and William Craft and their daring escape from slavery in 1848.  It was a riveting book and I can’t believe their story has not yet been made into a movie!

Ellen was a light skinned woman who was enslaved by her half-sister.  William was a cabinet maker and was rented out to ply his trade.  When Ellen’s half-sister’s husband was faced with trying financial times and started selling off slaves, the two came up with a daring plan to escape north.  Ellen dressed up as a fragile young white man who was traveling with his slave, William.  The two took trains, boats, and carriages as they traveled north.  There were many moments of suspense that the two would be caught along the way, but they did make it.

Soon after their escape, they traveled through the north on a speaking tour with William Wells Brown and Frederick Douglass telling of their escape.  After the tour they settled down and William owned his own business. Unfortunately, this safety was not to last as the Fugitive Slave Act was passed in 1850.  Soon there were people after Ellen and William, and they had to make another escape to Canada and then on to England. 

This was an eye-opening book.  I find it horrifying that someone would own their own children and gift one child to another.  Ellen was a particularly troublesome child as she was often mistaken for a legitimate child with her light skin.  Reading about how William’s family was broken up was also heartbreaking.

 I liked that Ellen and William were able to fake their confidence to make it.  They needed that confidence to act like a gentleman and servant.  I also loved just how smart their plan was.  Ellen wore a shoulder harness to appear like she had an injury so that she couldn’t sign her name (she couldn’t read or write).  She also had poultices on her face to appear ill to help cover up her lack of facial hair.   Such a sickly person would definitely need a slave with her at all times. 

It was disturbing that once they fled to Canada, they were still treated with prejudice and had a hard time getting out of the country. Once they made it to England they were surprised to be treated as human beings with dignity.

Author Ilyon Woo did a masterful job of weaving a compelling narrative.  Woo also included a lot of great background information on the abolition movement that I thought was very interesting.   Janina Edwards and Leon Nixon were captivating narrators.

I read this in February for Black History month, but I’m a bit late on my posting.