Book review
Julius Lester did an extraordinary job of documenting the lives of slaves in To be a Slave. Lester’s purpose of creating this book was to inform the people of the United States of what it was like to live through slavery as a slave. Most people who were not slaves had a twisted image of what slavery really was. They believed that slaves were dumb and that their only pleasure came from work, singing, and dancing. In reality, they were intellectual human beings who felt the horrors placed upon them with massive amounts of emotion. Lester allows those who have never experienced slavery see the horrors of it, through stories of actual slaves.
The theme of To be a Slave is power. The slave owners were able to make the atrocities that they committed against people acceptable because of the power that they held over everyone. Slave owners often ruled over their slaves with an iron fist, treating them as disposable objects rather than people. A quote that demonstrates their lack of empathy is: “…next came three black men, bareheaded, half naked, and chained together with an ox-chain. Last of all came a white man… on horseback, carrying pistols in his belt” (53). This quote shows how the slave owner is trying to dehumanize the slaves before they even reach his plantation. He is breaking their spirits in advance so that he does not have to fight them after they are empowered. A quote that shows the horrendous things owners did to slaves is: “The white folks was beating the slaves, burnin’ ‘em and boilin’ ‘em, workin’ ‘em and doin’ any other thing they wanted to do with them” (30). This quote shows that slave owners were not afraid to do anything to break their slaves. Owners would put their slaves through torture to demonstrate the power that owners had over them.
To be a Slave is written as a narrative. The book is made up of first-hand accounts of slaves who share their stories from plantations. Also, the book is arranged in chronological order from being a slave to the emancipation of slaves. Technically, Lester does not have his own style. Instead, each former slave has their own dialect and tone that they address their story with. An excellent example of a slave’s unique style is: “Judge Miller! Don’t you bid for me, ‘cause if you do, I would not live on your plantation. I will take a knife and cut my own throat ear to ear before I would be owned by you” (53). This quote shows the intense hatred slaves felt towards slave owners. This demonstrates that they were willing to take their own lives in any way they could to avoid slave owners. To be a Slave shows the emotions of slaves in the best way possible. By revealing their stories, told by the people who experienced it. The style of this book is very effective. The way it is put together allows the reader stories of slavery from all over the country. It also allows the reader to experience slavery throughout its entire life.
To be a Slave is a book that did an excellent job for the rights of African Americans. Before this book was published no person who did not experience slavery had any idea of the horrors. Those who were not slaves thought slavery was a benefit for them and that the slaves should be thankful for the opportunity to live in the United States. I could not change anything about this story as each story is filled with personal experience and packed with powerful emotions. I have never read any story filled with so much passion before in my life.
- Goodreads rating – 3.90
- REVIEW – Will