Review of Turtles on a Black Gum Tree

[Abraham Ozo]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Turtles on a Black Gum Tree" by Gary McIlroy.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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The tales and stories of the slave trade and slavery are not unheard of, and this book contains one of these stories. Turtles on a Black Gum Tree: The Life of Charles Ball by Gary McIlroy is a story that is based on an autobiography of Charles Ball that was written in 1837. This book starts with Charles and other slaves who were being transferred to Georgia to be sold by their master, M’Giffin. The story talks about how Charles lived his life as a slave and all the adventures and suffering he went through.

I like how this book was written. I always wondered what life during the slave days was like, and this author, with his choice of words, painted a very clear image of what it was like. Indeed, it was not good at all. The gruesomeness of the slave masters, the rights that were denied the slaves, and the way the slaves were valued were very painful and touching to read. They were treated like commodities. One part that got me the most was when Charles was to be sent as a wedding gift. That part and many other parts were very emotional to read about. All these descriptions and feelings would not have been achieved without the author’s quality writing.

There was nothing to dislike about this book. It oozed perfection all through. The storylines were lined up chronologically, and even when there was a flashback, it did not interfere with the storyline of this book, unlike most books today. This book is not lengthy, and throughout my reading, I found only one error in it. This shows the amount of work that was put into the editing.

This book deserves 5 out of 5 stars. It was professionally edited, the story was well-told, and the descriptions were very clear. All these combined to give this book this perfect rating. I recommend this book to anyone who would love to read books about black history and slavery. I think it is important to include that this book contains a racial slur and a gruesome scene that may be disturbing to some people. However, they do not take anything away from the quality of this book.

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Turtles on a Black Gum Tree
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[Terry Kimble]

This sounds like an emotional story. Your detailed review has compelled me to read this one. I need to be sure that I have plenty of tissues on hand first. Slavery stories make me very angry, and sad.

[Kirui Collins]

I always hear about slavery but never read about it. I must read this. Thanks .