Surprising Positivity

Before reading this book and just knowing the title, I was expecting a gruesome account of the daily lives of slaves. I had never read a slave's account of their life and from what I have learned about slavery in school and watching documentaries, the extreme cases have been highlighted and the harsh treatment the slaves received has always stuck out in my mind. But at the beginning of this novel, this is not the case, especially with her grandmother. Her grandma's slave owner loved her and the two seemed to be very close. She was promised freedom, and her children were sold to slavery, but within her mistress' family so they were all kept close together. To me this was surprising that the owners would be so considerate.

After her mistress passed and the doctor decided to sell her, it became even more surprising to me when her grandmother was to be sold but since all the people in the neighborhood knew she was a good person and had a good relationship with her owner, that nobody wanted to buy her because they felt sympathetic. Then when she was bought by her mistress' sister, it showed the respect that the slave owners actually did have for their loyal slaves.

It also was shocking to me that the main character was so optimistic after the death of both of her parents. When she was taking care of her brother, who was pessimistic about everything and depressed about their situation, she was still optimistic. She took after her grandmother and believed that everything happened because God wants it to even though her brother did not completely buy into it.

I find this to be a really interesting topic and really enjoyed a different perspective on the matter of slavery. I do not think it to be a positive thing or think this is the most enjoyable topic to read about, but the fact that some owners were kind was something that I had not been introduced to before reading this book.