More Than Chattel: Black Women and Slavery in the Americas (Blacks in the Diaspora)

Rating:
Summary: collections are always hit and miss
Review: A diverse variety of essays on black women in slavery that covers America's perculiar institution from its inception to shortly after the Civil War. The book is seeking to create a fuller picture of the lives of African American women during this time but is constantly fighting within itself over exactly what picture is. It has a difficult time simultaneously representing black women as empowered individuals with their own culture and as victims of a vicious system that presses unwanted physical and cultural contact on them. Some of the essays are poorly written and obviously missing key elements in their focused attempt to prove their argument, others are superbly written and try to account for as many aspects of culture as is possible. One particularly enlightening essay is "Africa to the Americas?" by Claire Robertson, in which she debunks a number of widely spouted partial truths about African culture that Americanists often use to justify gender relations among slaves. Another essay, Wilma King's "Suffer With Them Till Death" is absolutely awful. Its thesis seems to be that slave mothers loved their children and it begins with the well-duh line, "Slave parents had unusually heavy responsibilities."
Despite the fact that the essays argue among themselves and are sometimes hit and miss, the attempt to display a wide variety of opinion of behalf of the editors is a valiant one that only fails by the fact that all the essays are by women. In one sense, this is quite understandable as most of the scholarship on the subject has been done by women. In another sense, I would have liked to see more diverse authors and since several pieces were written precisely for the book, it would have been easy it seems to request on for the sake of diversity.
Not a light read, but the opinions are diverse enough that it is an excellent source to prove your thesis no matter what your argument on gender during slavery might be.

Rating:
Summary: a continuation of my last review
Review: Strike those last three sentences, I am very tired and finishing a 20 page paper. I have no idea why I decided to up and review this book in this state. I must be suffing from starbucks poisoning or something. the editors do incorporate a variety of opinions of both genders and do an excellent post modern job of it to boot. Sorry there.
I would also like to review this frapachino I got for free a few hours ago. It was cold and caffinated, but did not have enough "mocha" for my taste.