Play Book Tag discussion

A well-written book.

It's hard to write a review for this book. I don't know what should I start with. It talks about slavery and it talks about women's rights, and I must confess that from the two, the latter aspect is the one that impressed and horrified me more about this book. I don't mean to diminish the horror of slavery. I have no doubt that amongst all the things in the world, enslaving a human being is one of the evilest things another human can do. What I wanted to say is that I learn nothing new about slavery. I knew it was bad, and this book confirmed it. I knew the slaves had suffered hell, and that's what I read in this book.

The women's rights on the other hand... Well, I knew things there too, but I didn't know it had been really that bad for us. I can't exactly tell you why, but I found some of the things the people used to say about the two sisters quite shocking. It made me admire them, and all those early feminists, for the power to fight for their rights. This world is not yet equal for men and women (as it is not for black and whites), but thanks to them, we'd come a long way. Brave, brave women that make me want to be like them. There cannot be enough books about them.

Naturally, I fell in love with Sarah's character. I found so much of me in her. I don't stammer, but I, too, struggle with speaking and am more comfortable in writing. I, too, look for a purpose in my life (hopefully, I will find it). It's like she's been written for me.

I didn't like Handful (the other main character of this book) as much. Her story was definitely interesting, but I didn't connect with her the same way I did with Sarah (I know, it would've been hard, given that rarely I can find a character I can identify myself as much as I did with Sarah). However, I think it's great that the book presented us with the viewpoint of the slave, too. The two characters had distinctive voices, and I know this is not an easy thing for a writer to do.

Why only four stars and not five?

Two small problems.
1. The author didn't provide a satisfying for why Sarah, although coming from a slave-owner family and seeing no mercy for the slaves around her, had developed a different attitude than the rest of her family (with the exception of Angelina, but she's the younger one and strongly influenced by Sarah). I would've liked to be able to understand this little detail of her personality.
2. Although I fully acknowledge the quality of the writing, I didn't exactly fell in love with it. This is a purely subjective opinion, and it might not apply to anyone else.

Considering this, I believe this is a book that needs to be read. I'm not American, but of what I've understood, the two sisters and their work aren't well known, and I think it should. They are pioneers abolitionists and pioneers feminists. People need to know about women like them to paved the world for a better world, and they should inspire us to make what we have even better. We've come a long way, but there still are steps to take.

Great review.