Book review: When People Were Things, by Lisa Waller Rogers

If I could give six stars to this remarkable text, I would. The author has written an engaging, thorough, and minutely researched chronicle of the fight to grant emancipation to the enslaved population in mid nineteenth century America. Full of quoted primary source material in the form of letters, newspaper articles, diaries, and other authentic pieces of history, yet the writing never wavers, is never disparate, and is always coherent, careful, and logically set down in a chronology that reads like fiction but is underscored with truth straight from the pages written by actual participants in the struggle. Gripping and marvelously detailed, the characters become as alive and vibrant as close friends and neighbors, yet authenticity is woven through every narrative, every description, indeed every detail of the story. In this, we can see the lives of everyday people, politicians, journalists, publishers, writers, and others who were affected by the enforced servitude of millions, both Black and white, and how they either rose to the occasion, or absolutely did not, with sometimes complicated and astonishing results. The voices and faces of the enslaved themselves weave in and out among the text, providing important details that have been buried in old newspapers, court cases, and family records, bringing these forgotten individuals to life. And unfortunately, as the book progresses, those who argued against, and even violently fought against emancipation paint a picture that is eerily similar to racist actions and arguments heard today - proving the systemic problem of our democracy still pervades our politics. It’s all too clear that we still haven’t learned these lessons.

Thanks to NetGalley and Barrel Cactus Press for the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Originally posted at NetGalley