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Iola Leroy, or Shadows Uplifted
First published in 1892, this stirring novel by the great writer and activist Frances Harper tells the story of the young daughter of a wealthy Mississippi planter who travels to the North to attend school, only to be sold into slavery in the South when it is discovered that she has Negro blood. After she is freed by the Union army, she works to reunify her family and embrace her heritage, committing herself to improving the conditions for blacks in America.
Through her fascinating characters-including Iola's brother, who fights at the front in a colored regiment-Harper weaves a vibrant and provocative chronicle of the Civil War and its consequences through African American eyes in this critical contribution to the nation's literature.
Through her fascinating characters-including Iola's brother, who fights at the front in a colored regiment-Harper weaves a vibrant and provocative chronicle of the Civil War and its consequences through African American eyes in this critical contribution to the nation's literature.
279 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1892
About the author
Frances Ellen Watkins Harper
64 books73 followersBorn to free parents in Baltimore, Maryland. After her mother died when she was three years old in 1828, Watkins was orphaned. She was raised by her aunt and uncle. She was educated at the Academy for Negro Youth, a school run by her uncle Rev. William Watkins, who was a civil rights activist. He was a major influence on her life and work. At fourteen, she found work as a seamstress.
Frances Watkins had her first volume of verse, Forest Leaves, published in 1845 (it has been lost). Her second book, Poems on Miscellaneous Subjects, published in 1854, was extremely popular. Over the next few years, it was reprinted in 20 editions. Many African American women's service clubs named themselves in her honor, and across the nation, in cities such as St. Louis, St. Paul, and Pittsburgh, F. E. W. Harper Leagues and Frances E. Harper Women's Christian Temperance Unions thrived well into the twentieth century.
In 1850, Watkins moved to Ohio, where she worked as the first woman teacher at Union Seminary, established by the Ohio Conference of the AME Church. (Union closed in 1863 when the AME Church diverted its funds to purchase Wilberforce University.) The school in Wilberforce was run by the Rev. John Brown (not the same as the abolitionist). In 1853, Watkins joined the American Anti-Slavery Society and became a traveling lecturer for the group. In 1854, Watkins delivered her first anti-slavery speech on “Education and the Elevation of Colored Race”. The success of this speech resulted a two-year lecture tour in Maine for the Anti-Slavery Society. She traveled, lecturing throughout the East and Midwest from 1856 to 1860. In 1859, her story “The Two Offers” was published in the Anglo-African Magazine, a great accomplishment as it became the first short story to ever be published by an African American.
In 1860, she married Fenton Harper, a widower with three children. They had a daughter together in 1862. For a time Frances withdrew from the lecture circuit. However, after her husband Fenton died in 1864, Watkins returned to her travels and lecturing.
Frances Harper was a strong supporter of prohibition and woman's suffrage. She was also active in the Unitarian Church, which supported abolition. She often would read her poetry at the public meetings, including the extremely popular Bury Me in a Free Land. She was connected with national leaders in suffrage, and in 1866 gave a moving speech before the National Women's Rights Convention, demanding equal rights for all, including black women. Watkins was very involved in black organizations. From 1883 to 1890, she helped organize activities for the National Woman’s Christian temperance Union.
She also continued with her writing and continued to publish poetry. In 1892 she published Iola Leroy, or Shadows Uplifted. One of the first novels by an African-American woman, it sold well and was reviewed widely.
Harper continued with her political activism. She helped organize the National Association of Colored Women in 1896, and was later elected vice president in 1897.
Frances Watkins had her first volume of verse, Forest Leaves, published in 1845 (it has been lost). Her second book, Poems on Miscellaneous Subjects, published in 1854, was extremely popular. Over the next few years, it was reprinted in 20 editions. Many African American women's service clubs named themselves in her honor, and across the nation, in cities such as St. Louis, St. Paul, and Pittsburgh, F. E. W. Harper Leagues and Frances E. Harper Women's Christian Temperance Unions thrived well into the twentieth century.
In 1850, Watkins moved to Ohio, where she worked as the first woman teacher at Union Seminary, established by the Ohio Conference of the AME Church. (Union closed in 1863 when the AME Church diverted its funds to purchase Wilberforce University.) The school in Wilberforce was run by the Rev. John Brown (not the same as the abolitionist). In 1853, Watkins joined the American Anti-Slavery Society and became a traveling lecturer for the group. In 1854, Watkins delivered her first anti-slavery speech on “Education and the Elevation of Colored Race”. The success of this speech resulted a two-year lecture tour in Maine for the Anti-Slavery Society. She traveled, lecturing throughout the East and Midwest from 1856 to 1860. In 1859, her story “The Two Offers” was published in the Anglo-African Magazine, a great accomplishment as it became the first short story to ever be published by an African American.
In 1860, she married Fenton Harper, a widower with three children. They had a daughter together in 1862. For a time Frances withdrew from the lecture circuit. However, after her husband Fenton died in 1864, Watkins returned to her travels and lecturing.
Frances Harper was a strong supporter of prohibition and woman's suffrage. She was also active in the Unitarian Church, which supported abolition. She often would read her poetry at the public meetings, including the extremely popular Bury Me in a Free Land. She was connected with national leaders in suffrage, and in 1866 gave a moving speech before the National Women's Rights Convention, demanding equal rights for all, including black women. Watkins was very involved in black organizations. From 1883 to 1890, she helped organize activities for the National Woman’s Christian temperance Union.
She also continued with her writing and continued to publish poetry. In 1892 she published Iola Leroy, or Shadows Uplifted. One of the first novels by an African-American woman, it sold well and was reviewed widely.
Harper continued with her political activism. She helped organize the National Association of Colored Women in 1896, and was later elected vice president in 1897.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 167 reviews
September 14, 2020
A solid 4 1/2. Well worth the time I invested.
February 4, 2016
Frances Watkins Harper was born free in 1825 in Baltimore and was 67 years old when Iola Leroy was published. Before the Civil War she was a public speaker and political activist in the Abolitionist Movement and helped escaping slaves along the Underground Railroad. After the war she travelled the South speaking out for temperance, and the rights of women and African Americans, and other social causes.
Iola Leroy or, Shadows Uplifted is one of the first novels published by an African-American woman. It tells the story of a wealthy Mississippi planter who frees and marries his mixed-race slave. They have two children, Iola and Harry, that are raised without knowledge of their mixed background and educated in the North. In spite of his sincerest efforts to secure their future, after his death greedy relatives thrust Iola and her mother into slavery.
The book deals with Iola's emancipation and the period after the war when she tries to find her mother and brother and reestablish their lives together. As Iola and her brother are light skinned and highly educated, the book also deals with issues of passing and miscegenation. The concept of a single-drop of African blood making a person non-White and subject to ill-treatment by Society is a major theme. Written less than a decade before the Wilmington Massacre of 1898, this was a time when African-American prospects were still promising but were being threatened by racism and separatist thinking.
This novel is a great window on the era prior to the extreme racial repressions of the 20th Century, when Black people had hoped that education, hard work, and social responsibility could bring them social justice in the nation. As such, it is a great source of information written by a leader in the social justice movement of the time.
Iola Leroy or, Shadows Uplifted is one of the first novels published by an African-American woman. It tells the story of a wealthy Mississippi planter who frees and marries his mixed-race slave. They have two children, Iola and Harry, that are raised without knowledge of their mixed background and educated in the North. In spite of his sincerest efforts to secure their future, after his death greedy relatives thrust Iola and her mother into slavery.
The book deals with Iola's emancipation and the period after the war when she tries to find her mother and brother and reestablish their lives together. As Iola and her brother are light skinned and highly educated, the book also deals with issues of passing and miscegenation. The concept of a single-drop of African blood making a person non-White and subject to ill-treatment by Society is a major theme. Written less than a decade before the Wilmington Massacre of 1898, this was a time when African-American prospects were still promising but were being threatened by racism and separatist thinking.
This novel is a great window on the era prior to the extreme racial repressions of the 20th Century, when Black people had hoped that education, hard work, and social responsibility could bring them social justice in the nation. As such, it is a great source of information written by a leader in the social justice movement of the time.
September 9, 2021
I quite liked this.
This is written before Reconstruction ends and its a really good snapshot of this time period in history.
Reconstruction is a unique time in US politics. The loss in rights for Black folks when it ends will take about 100 yrs to recover. We are told that history marches slowly but always forward, Reconstruction outs that as boldface lie.
I'm not surprised its one of the least understood time periods in US history.
This is a tragic mulatto story which was popular at this time period and written by both Black & white authors.
This is written before Reconstruction ends and its a really good snapshot of this time period in history.
Reconstruction is a unique time in US politics. The loss in rights for Black folks when it ends will take about 100 yrs to recover. We are told that history marches slowly but always forward, Reconstruction outs that as boldface lie.
I'm not surprised its one of the least understood time periods in US history.
This is a tragic mulatto story which was popular at this time period and written by both Black & white authors.
February 16, 2017
Pretty awkward with its narrative elements; much more a novel of ideas. I recommend it since it testifies to the marriage of nineteenth century morality with progressive ideals of racial justice. "Caste plays such fantastic tricks on this country," says one character - and the novel does a good job of highlighting this. Even more intriguing is the novel's moral certitude alongside a sneaky skepticism of some of its heroes. It critiques white liberals and has a feminist undercurrent.
April 3, 2019
2/5stars
did i hate this book? Or do i just hate this class with the burning passion of a thousand suns?
probably just hate the class but it makes me hate everything we talk about or read oops
did i hate this book? Or do i just hate this class with the burning passion of a thousand suns?
probably just hate the class but it makes me hate everything we talk about or read oops
January 23, 2020
I loved this book! I read it for my English class, which definitely aided my enjoyment because we had to dissect and discuss the ideas that Harper presents (I think anytime you can discuss a book with someone, in a critical manner or otherwise, it multiplies your enjoyment 100%). But everything we talked about was rooted in the ideas and conversations that Harper introduced, so it's definitely worth the read.
The story is mostly told through dialogue between characters, and the writing is pretty much what I'd expect from a 19th-century novel. There is a fair amount of strong dialect, which I think added to the story, but it will be difficult to pick up for people who have never encountered it before. The best advice I can give is to take your time and read it aloud. The words are spelled phonetically according to their accent, so hearing it will make more sense than seeing it.
There's a fair amount of wish-fulfillment in the plot, but honestly, it works. It's a sentimental romance, so it's meant to be all gushy and stuff, but Harper does a serious critique of the genre and uses it to capture her audience (19th-century women) and confront them with ideas of Christianity, marriage, and racism that they may not ordinarily question. What's more, I think that the African-American portion of her audience deserves to have that kind of representation and hope. Reading is a form of escapism, even if the author is trying to show you harsh realities and promote critical thought; I certainly believe they can exist side-by-side. After all, "Shadows Uplifted" is in the title. Maybe it means that this book, with all its hope and promise and encouragement, is trying to uplift the heavy, foreboding shadows of the future for people who were and would continue to be discriminated against by a government that's supposed to protect them. I know there are many interpretations of the title, but I think that could be one of them.
The characters. Oh boy. They were awesome! So dynamic. Every character had multiple sides and contradictions, and most importantly, reasons for why they make their choices. Harper gave many conflicting viewpoints of a variety of issues, and the characters who delivered them were always called into question. And what a leading lady Iola Leroy turned out to be! A lot of media nowadays tend to rely on tropes for minority characters, particularly "strong independent woman who don't need no man," "fat, loud, unappealing caregiver" (also known as "mammy"), and "evil vixen who will always be passed up in the end" for black women. Iola Leroy both embodied and subverted these tropes, but most importantly, was a real person with real problems. She had been through a lot that made her strong, but it also deeply affected her and her view of the world. She didn't need a man to complete her, but she fell in love with one who helped her achieve her goals. She was caring, but that drove her to help her community and find her family. She was desired by most men in the novel, but part of that was showing the sexual vulnerability of enslaved women, and the other part was just a straight up romance you'd find in any book. And all that aside, she was so much more than these tropes, subverted or not. I don't know if Harper intended on doing that, but people should definitely look to Iola Leroy as an example of a dynamic character.
That being said, there were some things that Harper didn't call into question, like the superiority of America and Christianity over everything else, but overall, it was a really good read. There's so much more that can be said and discussed, so if you've read this book too (regardless of whether you enjoyed it), or maybe would like to read it, I'm always open to a good conversation.
The story is mostly told through dialogue between characters, and the writing is pretty much what I'd expect from a 19th-century novel. There is a fair amount of strong dialect, which I think added to the story, but it will be difficult to pick up for people who have never encountered it before. The best advice I can give is to take your time and read it aloud. The words are spelled phonetically according to their accent, so hearing it will make more sense than seeing it.
There's a fair amount of wish-fulfillment in the plot, but honestly, it works. It's a sentimental romance, so it's meant to be all gushy and stuff, but Harper does a serious critique of the genre and uses it to capture her audience (19th-century women) and confront them with ideas of Christianity, marriage, and racism that they may not ordinarily question. What's more, I think that the African-American portion of her audience deserves to have that kind of representation and hope. Reading is a form of escapism, even if the author is trying to show you harsh realities and promote critical thought; I certainly believe they can exist side-by-side. After all, "Shadows Uplifted" is in the title. Maybe it means that this book, with all its hope and promise and encouragement, is trying to uplift the heavy, foreboding shadows of the future for people who were and would continue to be discriminated against by a government that's supposed to protect them. I know there are many interpretations of the title, but I think that could be one of them.
The characters. Oh boy. They were awesome! So dynamic. Every character had multiple sides and contradictions, and most importantly, reasons for why they make their choices. Harper gave many conflicting viewpoints of a variety of issues, and the characters who delivered them were always called into question. And what a leading lady Iola Leroy turned out to be! A lot of media nowadays tend to rely on tropes for minority characters, particularly "strong independent woman who don't need no man," "fat, loud, unappealing caregiver" (also known as "mammy"), and "evil vixen who will always be passed up in the end" for black women. Iola Leroy both embodied and subverted these tropes, but most importantly, was a real person with real problems. She had been through a lot that made her strong, but it also deeply affected her and her view of the world. She didn't need a man to complete her, but she fell in love with one who helped her achieve her goals. She was caring, but that drove her to help her community and find her family. She was desired by most men in the novel, but part of that was showing the sexual vulnerability of enslaved women, and the other part was just a straight up romance you'd find in any book. And all that aside, she was so much more than these tropes, subverted or not. I don't know if Harper intended on doing that, but people should definitely look to Iola Leroy as an example of a dynamic character.
That being said, there were some things that Harper didn't call into question, like the superiority of America and Christianity over everything else, but overall, it was a really good read. There's so much more that can be said and discussed, so if you've read this book too (regardless of whether you enjoyed it), or maybe would like to read it, I'm always open to a good conversation.
December 3, 2015
'"No, no," said Leroy, tenderly, "it is not that I regret our marriage, or feel the least disdain for our children on account of the blood in their veins; but I do not wish them to grow up under the contracting influence of this race prejudice. I do not wish them to feel that they have been born under a proscription from which no valor can redeem them, nor that any social advancement or individual development can wipe off the ban which clings to them. No, Marie, let them go North, learn all they can, aspire all they may. The painful knowledge will come all too soon. Do not forestall it. I want them simply to grow up as other children; not being patronized by friends nor disdained by foes."" (83).
While I celebrate this book for being one of the earliest novels written by an African American (and for surviving and being resurrected by scholars of AA lit), I'm not sure I would recommend as a wonderful work of art or assign it in my class. I agree with Du Bois when he wrote a eulogy in _The Crisis_ in 1911 for Harper stating that "she was not a great writer, but she wrote much worth reading. She was, above all, sincere." It's a foundational work and important when considering the history of the nineteenth century American novel - especially written by black women who faced many odds when attempting to write and publish.
While I celebrate this book for being one of the earliest novels written by an African American (and for surviving and being resurrected by scholars of AA lit), I'm not sure I would recommend as a wonderful work of art or assign it in my class. I agree with Du Bois when he wrote a eulogy in _The Crisis_ in 1911 for Harper stating that "she was not a great writer, but she wrote much worth reading. She was, above all, sincere." It's a foundational work and important when considering the history of the nineteenth century American novel - especially written by black women who faced many odds when attempting to write and publish.
March 18, 2014
A Romantic ending to a debilitating national institution
After imbibing a dearth of slave narratives, autobiographies and sentimental African American novels, I'm glad to end a semester of antebellum literary study with Francis Harper's Iola Leroy. It's difficult to imagine the courage of those who sought progress and resolve after the civil war and chattel slavery. Iola embodies the necessary spirit of the African race to see this nation as her own, and despite pervading racial hatred at the turn of the century (even still today), her courage lights the path for others rising out of the shadow of a dark history. Iola is a heroine, a philanthropist, a nurse to the sick and weak of heart. If only Harper's novel had set the tone for humanitarian resolve going into the 20th century...
After imbibing a dearth of slave narratives, autobiographies and sentimental African American novels, I'm glad to end a semester of antebellum literary study with Francis Harper's Iola Leroy. It's difficult to imagine the courage of those who sought progress and resolve after the civil war and chattel slavery. Iola embodies the necessary spirit of the African race to see this nation as her own, and despite pervading racial hatred at the turn of the century (even still today), her courage lights the path for others rising out of the shadow of a dark history. Iola is a heroine, a philanthropist, a nurse to the sick and weak of heart. If only Harper's novel had set the tone for humanitarian resolve going into the 20th century...
October 29, 2019
As a novel, Iola Leroy is a disappointment. The chronological jumps are clunky, and the narrative arc meanders into nothingness about halfway through. The dialogue is either heavily stilted or excessively depicted as phonetically spelled dialect. (And what’s the point of spelling “poor” as “pore”?)
However, as a historical record of the author’s perception of racial issues in 19th century America, the book is quite interesting. Ms. Harper’s views on the dynamics of racism and the means of societal oppression struck me as remarkably contemporary and nuanced. It’s worth reading this, if only to demonstrate that many perceived-as-modern ideas about systematic discrimination are not, as is sometimes asserted, the products of 21st century revisionism; they’ve been around at least since 1892.
However, as a historical record of the author’s perception of racial issues in 19th century America, the book is quite interesting. Ms. Harper’s views on the dynamics of racism and the means of societal oppression struck me as remarkably contemporary and nuanced. It’s worth reading this, if only to demonstrate that many perceived-as-modern ideas about systematic discrimination are not, as is sometimes asserted, the products of 21st century revisionism; they’ve been around at least since 1892.
November 27, 2011
I had to read this novel, not just because I have to for uni :( but also because it is considered to be one of the very first novels written by a black woman. Being such an important text, it just had to be delved into. However, I found that because approximately half of the book is written in dialect that was attributed to how uneducated black slaves did speak, that the novel was a grueling read. Yet, I did like the themes of the book, and knowing that it was written by a black woman, made me view it as a more truthful representation of what life was really like for enslaved black men and woman, and most importantly, people who were the product of miscegenation, and therefore victims of the 'one drop rule'.
Want to read
July 11, 2020One of the first novels published by an African-American woman.
September 3, 2012
Absolutely WONDERFUL book! Iola Leroy; Shadows Uplifted teaches about how black slaves and "mulattos" had to fight for their freedom as well as how they were being treated by their owners. It shines light on how strong as well as just how smart they really were regardless to what their owners or others may have thought. One will learn about the cruel, inhumane, physical, as well as mental treatment that these people had to indure inorder to survive and make it North for freedom, and even then did they STILL have to put up w/those in the North who were still bound by the same ill-mentality of slavery. This book is worth the time to read.
February 1, 2017
It's difficult to properly critique a book with as much social significance as Iola Leroy, but the honest truth is that Harper is much better with poetry than prose. As a novel, it feels a bit flat, heavy handed, and preachy. However, it succeeds at presenting the issues of the time period in an honest and unflinching matter, while also offering potential solutions(solutions that we still have not fully embraced 100+ years later).
August 6, 2013
Frances E.W. Harper was ahead of her time in many ways. I was impressed often by her feminist viewpoints, even among the sentimentality and heavy Christian themes. (I suppose I should have expected as much...)
Maybe not the most engrossing read, and certainly not without its flaws, but a solid collection of ideas nonetheless.
Maybe not the most engrossing read, and certainly not without its flaws, but a solid collection of ideas nonetheless.
March 27, 2014
Mrs Harper's only novel was intended to encourage good citizenship and education for those who had long been under the yoke of slavery. It would be a good lesson for all peoples in taking the initiative to better themselves and be productive and successful members of society.
July 5, 2018
A wonderful book that was eye opening and beautiful all in one. I would highly recomend this to everyone to read. It is a spectacular historical reference to a point in history we typically turn a blind eye toward.
September 12, 2010
It's difficult to evaluate this fairly as literature because the styles have changed so much since it was written. As part of the historical cannon, it's definitely worth reading.
October 1, 2017
Very clearly written as a moralistic tale, but the racial issues described are depressingly still relevant today.
March 7, 2009
I'm halfway through, and I'm not sure one could, if one really tried, write more dreadfully. To get close, one would have to mimic the styles of Danielle Steele and Robert Ludlum, overlay it with the worst sentimentality of the past three hundred years, and then weld it all together with grim death marches of exposition that make Cliff's Notes read like great literature.
Even then it would be a close contest. I would rather read the most stultifying of State Department briefings than the second half of this novel. Iola Leroy is proof that nobility and good intentions on the part of the author do not make for good reading, and may very well impede it. I understand that in skillful hands it can be used to make all sorts of points, to a captive student audience, about racism, sexism, classism, and other nefarious isms, but then so can any number of Bugs Bunny cartoons, and without the consequent trauma to the reader.
Even then it would be a close contest. I would rather read the most stultifying of State Department briefings than the second half of this novel. Iola Leroy is proof that nobility and good intentions on the part of the author do not make for good reading, and may very well impede it. I understand that in skillful hands it can be used to make all sorts of points, to a captive student audience, about racism, sexism, classism, and other nefarious isms, but then so can any number of Bugs Bunny cartoons, and without the consequent trauma to the reader.
December 13, 2017
A Mississippi plantation owner frees, educates & marries a former slave whom he passes as white. The story follows his middle child, Iola Leroy, from her privileged childhood to the devastation brought on their family by the American Civil War.
Written in the late 19th century, the book's style is a product of its time - plot plays second fiddle to social commentary, tropes stand in for characters. So rather than a suspension of disbelief, what the reader experiences is the pure & passionate voice of Frances E. W. Harper herself. It's the voice of an amazing mind that expertly dissects how a hegemony can exploit, debase, & fear its helpless minority.
If writing today, Mrs Harper would probably be panned as a Caucasian's apologist. Writing in the 1890s & a WOC herself, she was fearless. If ever I'm given that dinner attended by my favourite authors, living or dead, I would hope to be seated next to Frances E. W. Harper.
Written in the late 19th century, the book's style is a product of its time - plot plays second fiddle to social commentary, tropes stand in for characters. So rather than a suspension of disbelief, what the reader experiences is the pure & passionate voice of Frances E. W. Harper herself. It's the voice of an amazing mind that expertly dissects how a hegemony can exploit, debase, & fear its helpless minority.
If writing today, Mrs Harper would probably be panned as a Caucasian's apologist. Writing in the 1890s & a WOC herself, she was fearless. If ever I'm given that dinner attended by my favourite authors, living or dead, I would hope to be seated next to Frances E. W. Harper.
April 24, 2012
It was a good book, and read in the context of the historical climate of the time, it was really interesting to see how Harper was so thoroughly engaged in the conversation around race and Reconstruction. That said, as an independent piece of literature, I did enjoy it - but it was very symbolically over the top and not even remotely subtle. It was a good story with heartfelt characters - but they were almost caricatures of themselves, and their conversations with nothing more than political dialog of the time.
November 12, 2015
The beginning of this book starts out promising, introducing a likable cast of characters and setting up an interesting conflict. The flashbacks are well done, and the first half of the book is enjoyable. However, the story ultimately spirals into a tale of unrealistic serendipity separated by clunky and heavy-handed political and social conversation. While the viewpoints are still important, they lose their appeal as the writing style changes. It is worth a read, especially since it reads so quickly, but be prepared for the sudden shift.
August 13, 2011
This was an important book when it came out in 1892. It was the first widely read novel by a black woman writer to deal with the African American experience during slavery, the war, and reconstruction. Harper uses this form to break stereotypes, reveal and critique racism that affected the lives of black people post slavery. I was particularly interested in the characters, like Iola, who could pass as white but were not accepted once their racial background was revealed.
July 15, 2016
Let me begin by acknowledging the valuable historical importance of this novel, one of the first published by a black woman. Unfortunately, the novel itself is rather... unremarkable. Harper's commendable optimism does not make for great plotting: an issue arises in one chapter and is quickly settled by the next. Somewhat similarly, her characters tend to be ideals or types. An important landmark to be sure, but not one I'd recommend outside of that fact.
March 18, 2008
i read this when i was about 11 and didn't really grasp the significance until i re-read it this year. powerful story about seemingly obvious illusions, the artificial color line, the breakdown of self and truth as a young woman discovers she is black and fights to arrive at some form of individual identity during the American civil war.
May 4, 2012
I changed my rating of this book after chatting with Amy yesterday and realizing that I've been thinking about it a lot more than I realized. I don't think it's as stylistically sophisticated as, say, Contending Forces, but it was still a really interesting read and I admire the balanced portrait that Harper paints of postbellum biracial characters.
April 16, 2019
I love this book although it was heartwrenching in the way and life of slaves, newly freed yet not truly free with no provisions, hated especially in the south. It's a story of Black people who decide to 'pass', and those who don't even know they're Black, and the tremendous blow to find out their roots.
May 25, 2011
I'm reading this for the Penguin Classics book club I just joined. This is the one to read in memory of the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War. Written over a hundred years ago, it has the authenticity of first-hand knowledge and experience. A great book !!
January 29, 2013
This book is important given the identity of the author and the historical context; however, it gets rather preachy toward the end, which I supposed is characteristic of similar books form the period. It was interesting.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 167 reviews