Review of The Silent Tree
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Chukwuemeka Ezema
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Review of The Silent Tree
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Silent Tree" by Carol Slayden Arnold with Cheryl Russell Morrow.]
The Silent Tree by Carol Slayden Arnold and Cheryl Russell Morrow is a book that documents the Slayden family's extensive history with slavery. It also provides the history of the black Slaydens.
Carol used this book to share her family history. The Slayden family consists of black and white people. For a long time, she was unaware of the black Slaydens. She discovered that her family had a history of being slave owners, which is where the black Slaydens originated from. She stated that they are all connected, and she used this book to share their story.
I liked that this book was heavily centered on slavery and racism. The cruelty that enslaved people went through was outrageous. The separation of family members due to slave trade was truly sad. I can't imagine what the affected families went through. It was appalling that raping black women back then was not even considered rape. These women were subjected to brutal treatment, but it wasn't even recognized as such, and no one was held accountable. I felt outraged when I read that intermarriage between a white and a black person was prohibited. People were not allowed to marry who they loved due to race. It was terrible. Imagine referring to women as "breeders" and selling them double the amount because of that; it was inhumane. It was sad seeing human beings being referred to as property; they weren't even given surnames.
This book contained gruesome facts and stories about racism. I liked how Carol provided dates to back up the facts. The author gave insights on what occurred after African Americans gained their freedom. It was hard for them to cope with their newly found freedom without food or money. She also talked about how they were harassed and brutally beaten for exercising their right to vote. The lynching and brutal killings of African Americans were horrible. Black people built America and got nothing in return. It was awful reading about what these people went through just because of the color of their skin. As a black person myself, I felt their plight.
The only thing I disliked about this book was the numerous punctuation mark errors it contained. There were a lot of missing commas, and this disrupted the flow of my reading.
Due to the above reasons, I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars. It was pretty informative and taught me a lot of things concerning slavery. It was professionally edited, as I found some errors. I recommend it to avid readers of books about slavery.
******
The Silent Tree
View: on Bookshelves
The Silent Tree by Carol Slayden Arnold and Cheryl Russell Morrow is a book that documents the Slayden family's extensive history with slavery. It also provides the history of the black Slaydens.
Carol used this book to share her family history. The Slayden family consists of black and white people. For a long time, she was unaware of the black Slaydens. She discovered that her family had a history of being slave owners, which is where the black Slaydens originated from. She stated that they are all connected, and she used this book to share their story.
I liked that this book was heavily centered on slavery and racism. The cruelty that enslaved people went through was outrageous. The separation of family members due to slave trade was truly sad. I can't imagine what the affected families went through. It was appalling that raping black women back then was not even considered rape. These women were subjected to brutal treatment, but it wasn't even recognized as such, and no one was held accountable. I felt outraged when I read that intermarriage between a white and a black person was prohibited. People were not allowed to marry who they loved due to race. It was terrible. Imagine referring to women as "breeders" and selling them double the amount because of that; it was inhumane. It was sad seeing human beings being referred to as property; they weren't even given surnames.
This book contained gruesome facts and stories about racism. I liked how Carol provided dates to back up the facts. The author gave insights on what occurred after African Americans gained their freedom. It was hard for them to cope with their newly found freedom without food or money. She also talked about how they were harassed and brutally beaten for exercising their right to vote. The lynching and brutal killings of African Americans were horrible. Black people built America and got nothing in return. It was awful reading about what these people went through just because of the color of their skin. As a black person myself, I felt their plight.
The only thing I disliked about this book was the numerous punctuation mark errors it contained. There were a lot of missing commas, and this disrupted the flow of my reading.
Due to the above reasons, I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars. It was pretty informative and taught me a lot of things concerning slavery. It was professionally edited, as I found some errors. I recommend it to avid readers of books about slavery.
******
The Silent Tree
View: on Bookshelves
Latest Review: Zona: The Forbidden Land by Fred G. Baker
