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Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated Dread Nation in Books

Jul 24, 2018  
Dread Nation
Dread Nation
Justina Ireland | 2018 | Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
5
7.6 (8 Ratings)
Book Rating
So, as a general rule, I don't read zombie stories. Zombies are the one monster that will almost invariably give me nightmares. This book, however, had such hype built up around it that I decided to bend my rule.

I should not have.

Before I start in on this, let me say it's a good story. It's well-written, the plot is paced nicely, and it's entertaining. All that said, it's quite problematic in many ways. I knew some of this before I read it; there was a Twitter thread about some of the issues, namely that in the Author's Note she describes the Native American boarding schools (where the government forced Native American children to go, and tried to destroy their heritage and culture in the name of "civilizing" them) as "well-meaning." The Twitter thread does an excellent job of dissecting that passage, and it's worth reading.

There's also the incredibly unrealistic scene where Jane gets flogged eleven times, walks back to where she's staying, has a coherent conversation where she lays out a plan she has formed, and then puts a shirt on. That last part especially got me. Like, what? You're going to be in more pain than that! Being flogged barely seems to slow Jane down. She asks for laudanum - for her plan. Not to take for the pain.

I don't know. There's a lot about the book that set my teeth on edge. There's the absurd amount of racism, but the protagonist is a black woman and it's civil war era, so that's to be expected. And it's coming from characters, not from narration. Jane lies. A lot. So it's hard to trust that she's even a reliable narrator.

I guess it's okay. I didn't care for it. I found it really hard to get past the author's "well-meaning" comment about the Native American boarding schools. And the plot of "as soon as they're old enough, black children get sent to combat schools." Especially with what's going on lately with the jailing of migrant children, it feels tone-deaf, ignorant, and genocidal.

One good point was the oh-so-casual mention of bisexuality (a female friend taught her "everything she knows about kissing") but it was only two sentences and never mentioned again. Not nearly enough to make up for the rest of the book.

You can find all my review at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com
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Jessi Bone (48 KP) rated From Auction Block to Glory: The African American Experience in Books

Mar 18, 2019  
FA
From Auction Block to Glory: The African American Experience
Phillip Thomas Tucker | 1998
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
From the Auction Block to Glory examines the lives and stories of African Americans during the civil war years. Where transplanted and enslaved African Americans were bought and sold as property to the battlefield where two dozen black soldiers won the Congressional Medal of Honor. Beginning with a history of slavery from its European origins to its establishment in the New World. With the succession phases of African American involvement in the World effort. When the North faced a potentially disastrous manpower crisis at the end of 1862, more than 200,000 African Americans rose to the occasion and joined the forces supplementing the Union's dissipating army, salvaging the North's hope of reuniting the nation. The issuing of the Emancipation Proclamation and the repeals of the 1792 militia law transformed the military and political climate in the North. African American's were now free to fight on the side of the North but stereotypes were as such that black soldiers were under pressure to prove their combat capabilities. From the early battles and victories at Milliken's Bend and Port Hudson to the Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts Volunteer Infantries famous attack on Fort Wagner, African American's demonstrated their fighting.



From the Auction Block to Glory by Phillip Thomas Tucker Ph.D. is 128 pages long and looks at the African American experience from slavery to emancipation. I found the book very insightful as it looked at the side of slavery not just from the slave's point of view but from the perspective of the Southern owners and the North's needs end the slavery. The painting, photographs, and stretches bring the past to life and allow additional visual confirmation of what the words were saying and gives you a rare and unique view of the world that they lived in. I found the book very informative and an enjoyable read. Dr. Tucker writing style is in a communicative style similar to a conversation from him to you which makes you want to finish the book in one sitting.