
I've been reading a great many books about racial inequality over the past few months, and although it does educate me in ways that my schooling never did, it also makes me realize that there are so many despicable notions that have permeated through history when it comes to the relations between Caucasians and African Americans. It’s all well and good to say that slavery is over, but as many people doubtlessly realize, the tensions between different ethnic groups still flourishes and stains the world even today. This is one of the reasons that this book was so eye-opening for me. While Reed, a man who is stuck in a wheelchair, has been raised owning slaves all his life and even lost his legs in order to protect that lifestyle, there is a marked growth and understanding that comes to him when he sees and experiences life in the North, where all men are free.
Reed is an angry and disheveled mess when he lands in Fenton, carrying years of regret and hurt with him like the baggage that he wheels along with. He sees things going on in the town that anger him, and he refuses to treat each Freeman with the dignity and respect that he has for his own race. When he meets Beulah Freeman, a Free Woman who manages the hotel owned by his cousin, he is initially rude and discourteous. As Beulah refuses to validate his chastisement and meets him with challenge, he becomes curious about her and begins to treat her with a grudging respect. This is the first change of many that will turn a man from a racially insensitive creature into a full-fledged human being—one who is caring and trusting, and one who goes far out of his way to help someone that Beulah cherishes.
The other catalyst to this story is the arrival of Belle. Belle is a woman who is dirt poor and lives with her abusive father and brothers. Though monetarily disadvantaged, Belle has honor, dignity and dreams for herself. Caught in a trap of her father and brothers’ making, Belle’s only way out of her daily beatings is to marry Reed. What at first seems an act of pity begins to change the lives of everyone in the town, most markedly Reed’s. In the book’s exploration of love as a softening agent, Reed makes decisions that he never thought himself capable of. His heart, once a festering wound, begins to show that thing that we all wish for, self actualization. It’s more than the love for Belle that proves to be his remaking, but the love that he finally grants to himself that gives him the courage to break the bonds of slavery to a life that keeps others as property and evaluates them by the color of their skin. A lifelong promise is what he makes, but what is more important is that he is rebuilt, from stern to soul.
While some of this book made me angry, especially the violence that was perpetrated on African Americans and women, I think the author did a wonderful job immersing herself in the realities of the times and subjects that she sought to capture. There was a sweetness to the changing reflections of Reed and the courage that he demonstrated on behalf of people he would have earlier shunned. It was easy to keep turning the pages and reading because the characters were realistic, and history tells me that they were also accurate. A novel that moved me, despite my initial reluctance.
This book was provided as a complimentary review copy.
16 comments:
Sounds a bit like the plot of Porgy and Bess, which of course makes me want to read it!
I generally don't care for books set during this time period but just read, and thoroughly enjoyed, Freeman, so I'll have to think about this one. The fact that it moved you says a lot to me.
I like the sound of this one. The fact that it made you angry but opened your eyes as well, really says something. I am fascinated by race relations but especially during this time period.
I like this sound of this one too. I like to be shaken awake, and possibly learn something too.
Hello Zibilee,
Thank you ever so much for the beautifully written review and for taking a chance on a new author. I'm happy to chat if anyone is talkative!
Holly
This book sounds very moving, and I enjoyed your descriptive review.
I read one of the author's book recently and liked it but didn't love it. This one sounds much more serious, and I'm intrigued by it.
What an amazing book. I'd love to read this. Your review is wonderful and piqued my interest in this book.
I'm often shocked and dismayed over the way African Americans were treated in our country during the period in this book and before it. Women, too.
Thank you for bringing this book to my attention.
This one sounds like a great read. Your review convinced me to read this one. I'll be adding it to my wish list.
this sounds like a really wonderful book! i'm going to look for it at work.
I like the sound of this book. It sounds both powerful and enlightening. I will have to read it.
Sounds wonderful! You're always adding books to my wish list that I'd never even heard of before you review them!
I love that you write that books can educate you in a way school can't. As a college professor, I am constantly aware of the rather superficial look students get at major issues. I wish we had more time to put more novels in our classes.
This sounds like such a fascinating and thought provoking book to read. I am especially curious about Reed's experiences in terms of how his views changed. In a world where there is so much prejudice and bigotry, it is nice to come across a story that not only addresses it, but shows us that people can change.
This is a time period I really like and make a compelling case to read this one.
I read this one a couple of months ago and thought it was a very revealing read. I thought that the author was brave to include some of the events and some of the language that she did!
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