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Send Judah First: The Erased Life of an Enslaved Soul
A young girl’s life is shattered when she is stolen from her African village in a midnight raid. Ruthlessly torn from her family to be beaten, chained, degraded, and enslaved in a heartless world she can barely comprehend. The slave ledger at Virginia’s Belle Grove Plantation only reveals that Judah was purchased to be the cook, gave birth to 12 children, and died in April 1836. But, like the other 276 faceless names entered in that ledger, Judah lived. Brian C. Johnson’s important work of historical fiction goes beyond what is recorded to portray the depth, humanity, and vulnerability of a beautiful soul all but erased by history. For Judah, as Johnson notes, “did the ultimate—she survived. Not as a weakling, but resilient and determined.”
294 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 27, 2019
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March 25, 2021
Send Judah First:The Erased Life of an Enslaved Soul by Brian C. Johnson was a beautiful but mostly fictitious account of one female slave who was stolen at thirteen years old from her African village. Judah was taken against her will by slave traders, chained and transported by ship to the southern part of the United States where she was sold into slavery. It was not a life she wanted nor asked for but slavery was her fate.Her story was compelling, haunting and horrific. .
Brian C. Johnson became interested in Judah’s story when he took some students on a field trip to the Belle Grove Plantation in Virginia. He came upon a slave ledger there where Judah’s name had been recorded. He discovered that Judah had been purchased as a cook, gave birth to twelve children and died as a slave in April of 1836. Those were the facts Johnson knew to be true. Based on those facts, Johnson went on to recreate Judah’s life. Send Judah First was a moving account of what Brian C. Johnson imagined Judah’s life to be. Since there was little known knowledge about her other than those few recorded facts, Send Judah First relied heavily upon his impeccable and impressive research. Those combined contributions made Send Judah First an important and worthy historical fiction novel.
Judah had not asked to live the life of a slave. When she arrived on the first plantation she could not speak a word of English. Although she was made a cook, she had no knowledge of the kind of food white people ate or liked. Aunt Sally, the senior cook, took Judah under her wing and taught Judah everything she would need to know to be an accomplished cook. Judah was smart and a fast learner. In a short amount of time she had mastered enough English to be understood and to understand what was being said and asked of her. Her master preyed on her sexually and soon she found herself pregnant with his child. Judah was still a child herself and yet here she was with a child. When the economy began to affect the plantation, Judah was sold to the master at Belle Grove Plantation. The master of the Belle Grove Plantation was a Preacher, a Christian that was unable to view slaves as human beings. To him, his slaves were his property. He often compared their worth to his livestock or farm equipment. He had a mean streak and had anger issues. His wife was no better. She spoke down to Judah and threatened and belittled Judah and her fellow slaves. Her attitude toward slaves was despicable. Over the years, Judah went on to become an impressive cook and healer. She married another slave, Anthony, who also lived and worked on the Belle Grove Plantation. Their master had arranged the marriage after Judah had informed the master that she wanted to marry a man from a nearby plantation. On the night of Judah and Anthony’s wedding, the Preacher master stood and watched the two consummate their marriage, much to Judah’s and Anthony’s embarrassment. Despite everything, Judah’s and Anthony’s love for one another grew and got stronger as the years progressed. As time went on, Anthony was gifted to the preacher’s son. Anthony was often beaten and only allowed to come back to his home with Judah and their children on weekends. Every time Anthony came back home he had a new bruise or the effects of a beating could be detected. It was a cruel life that trapped both Judah and Anthony. There was talk of escape and an Underground Railroad. Would Judah and Anthony ever get to live in freedom or would slavery hold fast?
Send Judah First by Brian C. Johnson was a character driven historical fiction novel. It featured strong, and resilient female characters, especially Judah. I listened to the audiobook that was brilliantly narrated by Elizabeth Isitor. Her voice was calming and yet powerful. The songs that she sang immersed within the audiobook were beautifully presented. It was most definitely a heart wrenching story that struck a chord with all my emotions. It was fast paced and the plot flowed seamlessly. I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook and would recommend it very highly.
Thank you to Independent Book Publishers Association for allowing me to listen to this audiobook through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Brian C. Johnson became interested in Judah’s story when he took some students on a field trip to the Belle Grove Plantation in Virginia. He came upon a slave ledger there where Judah’s name had been recorded. He discovered that Judah had been purchased as a cook, gave birth to twelve children and died as a slave in April of 1836. Those were the facts Johnson knew to be true. Based on those facts, Johnson went on to recreate Judah’s life. Send Judah First was a moving account of what Brian C. Johnson imagined Judah’s life to be. Since there was little known knowledge about her other than those few recorded facts, Send Judah First relied heavily upon his impeccable and impressive research. Those combined contributions made Send Judah First an important and worthy historical fiction novel.
Judah had not asked to live the life of a slave. When she arrived on the first plantation she could not speak a word of English. Although she was made a cook, she had no knowledge of the kind of food white people ate or liked. Aunt Sally, the senior cook, took Judah under her wing and taught Judah everything she would need to know to be an accomplished cook. Judah was smart and a fast learner. In a short amount of time she had mastered enough English to be understood and to understand what was being said and asked of her. Her master preyed on her sexually and soon she found herself pregnant with his child. Judah was still a child herself and yet here she was with a child. When the economy began to affect the plantation, Judah was sold to the master at Belle Grove Plantation. The master of the Belle Grove Plantation was a Preacher, a Christian that was unable to view slaves as human beings. To him, his slaves were his property. He often compared their worth to his livestock or farm equipment. He had a mean streak and had anger issues. His wife was no better. She spoke down to Judah and threatened and belittled Judah and her fellow slaves. Her attitude toward slaves was despicable. Over the years, Judah went on to become an impressive cook and healer. She married another slave, Anthony, who also lived and worked on the Belle Grove Plantation. Their master had arranged the marriage after Judah had informed the master that she wanted to marry a man from a nearby plantation. On the night of Judah and Anthony’s wedding, the Preacher master stood and watched the two consummate their marriage, much to Judah’s and Anthony’s embarrassment. Despite everything, Judah’s and Anthony’s love for one another grew and got stronger as the years progressed. As time went on, Anthony was gifted to the preacher’s son. Anthony was often beaten and only allowed to come back to his home with Judah and their children on weekends. Every time Anthony came back home he had a new bruise or the effects of a beating could be detected. It was a cruel life that trapped both Judah and Anthony. There was talk of escape and an Underground Railroad. Would Judah and Anthony ever get to live in freedom or would slavery hold fast?
Send Judah First by Brian C. Johnson was a character driven historical fiction novel. It featured strong, and resilient female characters, especially Judah. I listened to the audiobook that was brilliantly narrated by Elizabeth Isitor. Her voice was calming and yet powerful. The songs that she sang immersed within the audiobook were beautifully presented. It was most definitely a heart wrenching story that struck a chord with all my emotions. It was fast paced and the plot flowed seamlessly. I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook and would recommend it very highly.
Thank you to Independent Book Publishers Association for allowing me to listen to this audiobook through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
March 13, 2021
The narrator Elizabeth Isitor was perfect. She added another layer to this already good narrative. I highly recommend that people listen to this book. Her singing was a true delight.
The story was not an emotional telling like other books I’ve read, but a sober one of some of the atrocities committed. It’s a clear, unfiltered look at the cruel and inhuman things done.
The Christian complacency going on was a bitter pill to swallow and it made me sick. It was accurate and educational. Can we learn from our past? I truly hope so.
Thank you IBPA via Netgalley for this audiobook. I’ve voluntarily given my review.
The story was not an emotional telling like other books I’ve read, but a sober one of some of the atrocities committed. It’s a clear, unfiltered look at the cruel and inhuman things done.
The Christian complacency going on was a bitter pill to swallow and it made me sick. It was accurate and educational. Can we learn from our past? I truly hope so.
Thank you IBPA via Netgalley for this audiobook. I’ve voluntarily given my review.
March 23, 2021
I find historical fiction that depicts women's struggles to be so encouraging. In the past, when situations were, in fact, substandard, ladies nevertheless worked their way out to do something they truly wanted. It instills a feeling of pride as well as helps me to see past my problems. Send Judah First, yet again took my breath away after hearing about Judah's efforts of living as a captive after being taken from her family in an African settlement in a night attack.
I liked the book's cover & the blurb that got me to choose the audiobook primarily. The book's thoroughly investigated. The writer does full justice to Judah's & also all characters who were a part of her life. Having stated that, I wanted the storyteller could become pleasanter; I saw that she was too stolid. But, while narrating in African literature, her speech was quite extraordinary.
I just can't comprehend how youthful girls like Judah could stand & though grudgingly, accept their imprisoned destiny. People truly have no one to tell of their confused emotions & the distressing events of living as taken, captured & pushed into servitude. The book is very high-powered & one requires a genuinely big heart to get by Judah's journey.
I liked the book's cover & the blurb that got me to choose the audiobook primarily. The book's thoroughly investigated. The writer does full justice to Judah's & also all characters who were a part of her life. Having stated that, I wanted the storyteller could become pleasanter; I saw that she was too stolid. But, while narrating in African literature, her speech was quite extraordinary.
I just can't comprehend how youthful girls like Judah could stand & though grudgingly, accept their imprisoned destiny. People truly have no one to tell of their confused emotions & the distressing events of living as taken, captured & pushed into servitude. The book is very high-powered & one requires a genuinely big heart to get by Judah's journey.
August 3, 2019
So much historical fiction repeats the same narrative, reinforcing so many of our deeply held tropes, no matter how tired and false they may be. This is not the case at all with Brian Johnson's Send Judah First, a stunning and compelling novel that gives voice to a story seldom shared. Well-researched and beautifully written, Send Judah First sheds light on the complex and harrowing experiences of the enslaved, focusing on the life of woman captured, kidnapped, and forced into slavery on the Belle Grove plantation in Virginia. Subtitled The Erased Life of and Enslaved Soul, Johnson's novel is richly layered with nuance and insight into this woman's spirit and into the troubling truths of the experience of the enslaved in America. It is a story we should all know by heart, but those who have written most of the stories of this era have not seen fit to take this stance. In writing this moving and challenging novel, Johnson has performed the magic of of un-erasing Judah's life with an artful blend of documentation and imagination.
September 9, 2021
There are many great slave narratives in books. Some books such as Roots and Twelve Years A Slave have set benchmarks that are very tough to match. So before you begin this book, you need to have one thing clear: this book is based on reality only to a limited extent. Judah existed in real life, but what her life actually was like, no one knows in detail. The book is entirely a figment of the author's imagination and research into those times, so it needs to be treated as a historical fiction rather than a true life narrative.
The book starts off really strongly. Right from the first sentence, you are caught in the tension of little Judah being kidnapped from her village in Africa by white traders with the intention of selling her and several others into slavery. The story begins in the early 1800s and moves ahead with Judah‘s age. We see her accept her fate as a slave while her heart still longs for her native place.
What makes this book unique is that unlike most slave narratives, this book doesn’t focus on those who have attempted an escape from slavery, or done anything brave or overtly remarkable in the eyes of modern citizens of the world. It is just an insight into the routine life of one of the thousands of blacks who were kept under harsh slavery on the white plantations in the South. As the author rightly says, there have been so many unnamed slaves whom history has forgotten. This is his attempt to remember just one of those unknown ordinary persons caught under extraordinary circumstances. The daily humiliation, the harsh treatment, the lack of privacy, the disrespect that these people faced just because of their skin colour all comes to the fore in this story. It makes you so uncomfortable to listen to it that you can't help but wonder what it must have been to live through it.
The writing is very interesting especially at the start. The use of Judah’s local African language (not sure what language it is) adds to the flavour of the narrative. In the second half though, the narrative starts becoming a little repetitive and sometimes, a bit farfetched. For instance, when Judah recalls her village, I am sure she wouldn’t say “My beautiful Africa” but use the name of her village. Also, there are way too many recipes given within the second half. While Judah is said to have been a wonderful cook as per the story, the repetitive recipes within the conversation hinder the flow. Having a separate section on the recipes would have been better, and I think that is the case with the digital and physical copies. So this particular issue might be just with the audiobook. Of course, those who are interested in the recipes would find it fascinating.
The audiobook is narrated by Elizabeth Isitor. I found her accent wonderful and authentic. While she does make a few pronunciation mistakes in words such as Colonel or pined, she still did a wonderful job in bringing this book to life. I loved the way she sang wherever there were hymns in the story. Her voice added magic to the narrative.
Thank you, NetGalley and Hidden Shelf Publishing House, for the Advanced Audio Review Copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. In fact, the NetGalley version was 3 hours shorter than the actual audio. I am grateful to Hidden Shelf for quickly sorting out my problem and giving me the complete version of this book.
***********************
Join me on the Facebook group, Readers Forever! , for more reviews, book-related discussions and fun.
Follow me on Instagram: RoshReviews
The book starts off really strongly. Right from the first sentence, you are caught in the tension of little Judah being kidnapped from her village in Africa by white traders with the intention of selling her and several others into slavery. The story begins in the early 1800s and moves ahead with Judah‘s age. We see her accept her fate as a slave while her heart still longs for her native place.
What makes this book unique is that unlike most slave narratives, this book doesn’t focus on those who have attempted an escape from slavery, or done anything brave or overtly remarkable in the eyes of modern citizens of the world. It is just an insight into the routine life of one of the thousands of blacks who were kept under harsh slavery on the white plantations in the South. As the author rightly says, there have been so many unnamed slaves whom history has forgotten. This is his attempt to remember just one of those unknown ordinary persons caught under extraordinary circumstances. The daily humiliation, the harsh treatment, the lack of privacy, the disrespect that these people faced just because of their skin colour all comes to the fore in this story. It makes you so uncomfortable to listen to it that you can't help but wonder what it must have been to live through it.
The writing is very interesting especially at the start. The use of Judah’s local African language (not sure what language it is) adds to the flavour of the narrative. In the second half though, the narrative starts becoming a little repetitive and sometimes, a bit farfetched. For instance, when Judah recalls her village, I am sure she wouldn’t say “My beautiful Africa” but use the name of her village. Also, there are way too many recipes given within the second half. While Judah is said to have been a wonderful cook as per the story, the repetitive recipes within the conversation hinder the flow. Having a separate section on the recipes would have been better, and I think that is the case with the digital and physical copies. So this particular issue might be just with the audiobook. Of course, those who are interested in the recipes would find it fascinating.
The audiobook is narrated by Elizabeth Isitor. I found her accent wonderful and authentic. While she does make a few pronunciation mistakes in words such as Colonel or pined, she still did a wonderful job in bringing this book to life. I loved the way she sang wherever there were hymns in the story. Her voice added magic to the narrative.
Thank you, NetGalley and Hidden Shelf Publishing House, for the Advanced Audio Review Copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. In fact, the NetGalley version was 3 hours shorter than the actual audio. I am grateful to Hidden Shelf for quickly sorting out my problem and giving me the complete version of this book.
***********************
Join me on the Facebook group, Readers Forever! , for more reviews, book-related discussions and fun.
Follow me on Instagram: RoshReviews
July 16, 2019
Send Judah First is powerful. Judah was an actual slave at Belle Grove Plantation in Virginia, though little is really known about her (the author explains this in the forward). Brian C. Johnson paints a picture of her life that reveals the depth of the injustice she faced. In the story, her slave master was a preacher–so you step into a world where Judah is owned by a christian man who is unwilling to see slave holding for what it is, and unwilling to see his slaves for what they are–people. The subtitle perfectly captures this book, "The Erased Life of an Enslaved Soul."
November 29, 2021
Send Judah First by Brian C. Johnson is the fictionalized account of the real life of a young slave woman. The author stumbled across her name on a visit to historical property Belle Grove Plantation in northern Virginia. There are only two documents proving her existence – a slave ledger and a letter sent out from the mistress of the estate noting Judah’s death. Johnson’s curiosity and fascination sent him down a road of research as he attempted to piece together Judah’s life. While much of the book is fiction, there are a number of real-life details and characters.
The plot is about what you’d expect of a biography of a slave girl. It’s filled with the abhorrent patterns of slavery – brutality, rape, intense working conditions, separation from family, dreams of freedom, the will to survive, et cetera. We meet Judah when she is first transported onto a slave trade vessel, separated from her parents and ripped from her homeland at only 12 years of age. From there, we follow her over the next 20+ years as she is purchased and eventually sold to Belle Grove.
The unique detail of her life and this account is her famed cooking. This permeates the entire book. She’s the cook for not only the master and his family but also for all the slaves living on the plantation. Cooking fills Judah’s days and the pages of the novel. She’s valued for her skills in the kitchen, and this cements her destiny to live out her days at Belle Grove.
I love it when a story means so much to an author, when they feel so passionate about what they are sharing. I definitely think that comes across in Johnson’s writing. The reader can tell how committed Johnson is to telling this story to the best of his ability. He also spends a good deal of time writing out the sensitive conversation between Christians regarding slavery, as the master of Belle Grove was a reverend. He quotes a substantial amount of Scripture and doesn’t shy away from the southern church’s role in advocating for slavery versus up in the North, where many Christians were heavily involved with abolition. It was interesting to read the conversation between two professing Christians who argued so strongly in both directions. As a Christian myself, it broke my heart to read the arguments for slavery and how out-of-context Scripture was taken to promote it.
Johnson is not graphic in his depictions of beatings or rape, so the book was less difficult or heavy to swallow as some other slavery accounts. It’s not long, and I read it in just about 24 hours. I have two critiques though: First, Johnson’s dialogue for the slaves is written out phonetically to convey their accents (things like, “Fo sho,” “Massuh Hite,” “Git yo reah ova heah”). I found this a little distracting as the reader as I had to decipher every spoken word or thought by the slaves. Perhaps it would’ve been better as an audiobook? Secondly, for a relatively short book, it covers Judah’s entire life in slavery. There were a lot of things that I feel we could’ve spent more time on and gone deeper into that would’ve been really interesting. Instead, some things were glossed over in order to get through her tale in its entirety.
It’s definitely worth the read if history – especially abolition, slavery, African American history – is your thing. It’s not the deepest, darkest book on the subject, but it still has a strong message and a passionate author who sought to tell one woman’s story the best he could.
The plot is about what you’d expect of a biography of a slave girl. It’s filled with the abhorrent patterns of slavery – brutality, rape, intense working conditions, separation from family, dreams of freedom, the will to survive, et cetera. We meet Judah when she is first transported onto a slave trade vessel, separated from her parents and ripped from her homeland at only 12 years of age. From there, we follow her over the next 20+ years as she is purchased and eventually sold to Belle Grove.
The unique detail of her life and this account is her famed cooking. This permeates the entire book. She’s the cook for not only the master and his family but also for all the slaves living on the plantation. Cooking fills Judah’s days and the pages of the novel. She’s valued for her skills in the kitchen, and this cements her destiny to live out her days at Belle Grove.
I love it when a story means so much to an author, when they feel so passionate about what they are sharing. I definitely think that comes across in Johnson’s writing. The reader can tell how committed Johnson is to telling this story to the best of his ability. He also spends a good deal of time writing out the sensitive conversation between Christians regarding slavery, as the master of Belle Grove was a reverend. He quotes a substantial amount of Scripture and doesn’t shy away from the southern church’s role in advocating for slavery versus up in the North, where many Christians were heavily involved with abolition. It was interesting to read the conversation between two professing Christians who argued so strongly in both directions. As a Christian myself, it broke my heart to read the arguments for slavery and how out-of-context Scripture was taken to promote it.
Johnson is not graphic in his depictions of beatings or rape, so the book was less difficult or heavy to swallow as some other slavery accounts. It’s not long, and I read it in just about 24 hours. I have two critiques though: First, Johnson’s dialogue for the slaves is written out phonetically to convey their accents (things like, “Fo sho,” “Massuh Hite,” “Git yo reah ova heah”). I found this a little distracting as the reader as I had to decipher every spoken word or thought by the slaves. Perhaps it would’ve been better as an audiobook? Secondly, for a relatively short book, it covers Judah’s entire life in slavery. There were a lot of things that I feel we could’ve spent more time on and gone deeper into that would’ve been really interesting. Instead, some things were glossed over in order to get through her tale in its entirety.
It’s definitely worth the read if history – especially abolition, slavery, African American history – is your thing. It’s not the deepest, darkest book on the subject, but it still has a strong message and a passionate author who sought to tell one woman’s story the best he could.
March 13, 2021
This is a well done story about a young girl who is taken from her home in Africa and sold as a slave to a plantation in Virginia and she rebuilds her life and falls in love. It really told it from a new perspective, and I really liked the narrator, she really added another level of depth to the story, especially when she sang or told stories in her native language it really brought it alive. Judah was strong in facing so much adversity and as many times as this type of story has been told, this one stood out in that way for me. Her master was a preacher and his wife, and they claimed to treat their slaves like family, but they definitely didn’t treat them like people so I don’t know how they justified it in their minds but they did.
Send Judah first is deep, sober and multi layered and I learned some new things in history.
Thanks to Netgalley for this audiobook in exchange for my review.
Send Judah first is deep, sober and multi layered and I learned some new things in history.
Thanks to Netgalley for this audiobook in exchange for my review.
March 18, 2021
Well done!
January 13, 2025
This is -- well -- quite a read.
Judah was a real person. However her story was imagined by the writer -- an amazing writer who did a fantastic job.
I've always enjoyed historical fiction. It's one of my favorite genres. I enjoyed what I could read of this book.
I must say right off I did no tfinish it. Not because it is not excellent. . I am having problems with my E-reader. This book and another one, a thriller were giving me issues all day. It kept saying I was done when I was mid-book. I had to keep resetting the E reader just to go on and eventually I gave up.
I will have to order the hard copy to complete it. It -- the problem is on my end, not their's.
But since I do not know when I can do that, I wanted to at least leave a review of what I DID read which was about 55-60 percent. The cruelties heaped on Judah are horrific. Yet somehow she persists -- a strong, proud, intense SURVIVOR.
I can't imagine how many OTHER individuals there were, just like Judah. I am so glad I found this book when looking for quality historical fiction to read. It was really something.
Negatives? Not many. The only one I can think of is it was hard to follow for me for two reasons.
One was the E Book issues I had. . The other was the African languege barrier. NO -- most of the book is in English but some, especially in the beginning, some of what Judah said was not and it was tough for me to follow. I had a tough time with the cruelty but who wouldn't?
The cover is also exquisite. This was such an unusual book. I really do recommend it especially to my historical fiction loving friends. You'll want to just get lost in Judah's story.
Judah was a real person. However her story was imagined by the writer -- an amazing writer who did a fantastic job.
I've always enjoyed historical fiction. It's one of my favorite genres. I enjoyed what I could read of this book.
I must say right off I did no tfinish it. Not because it is not excellent. . I am having problems with my E-reader. This book and another one, a thriller were giving me issues all day. It kept saying I was done when I was mid-book. I had to keep resetting the E reader just to go on and eventually I gave up.
I will have to order the hard copy to complete it. It -- the problem is on my end, not their's.
But since I do not know when I can do that, I wanted to at least leave a review of what I DID read which was about 55-60 percent. The cruelties heaped on Judah are horrific. Yet somehow she persists -- a strong, proud, intense SURVIVOR.
I can't imagine how many OTHER individuals there were, just like Judah. I am so glad I found this book when looking for quality historical fiction to read. It was really something.
Negatives? Not many. The only one I can think of is it was hard to follow for me for two reasons.
One was the E Book issues I had. . The other was the African languege barrier. NO -- most of the book is in English but some, especially in the beginning, some of what Judah said was not and it was tough for me to follow. I had a tough time with the cruelty but who wouldn't?
The cover is also exquisite. This was such an unusual book. I really do recommend it especially to my historical fiction loving friends. You'll want to just get lost in Judah's story.
August 17, 2019
I'm enamored with Judah. Everyone needs to read this.
February 26, 2025
Masterful writing
I enjoy reading books or listening to audios about the pre Civil War era and the lives of the inhabitants of both races who kept the plantations alive. I read both the book and listened to the audio of the and enjoyed them equally.
"Send Judah First: The Erased Life of an Enslaved Soul" was masterfully written and impeccably researched. Even as a work of fiction, the reader will come to realize this author put time and effort into the story of Judah.
Highly recommended and easy five stars.
I enjoy reading books or listening to audios about the pre Civil War era and the lives of the inhabitants of both races who kept the plantations alive. I read both the book and listened to the audio of the and enjoyed them equally.
"Send Judah First: The Erased Life of an Enslaved Soul" was masterfully written and impeccably researched. Even as a work of fiction, the reader will come to realize this author put time and effort into the story of Judah.
Highly recommended and easy five stars.
March 8, 2021
I was lucky and won this ebook on Goodreads and I couldn’t stop reading it!
Judah is taken, along with many others, from her African village, chained and put on a ship bound for America. Being pretty made her an easy mark for sexual assault, first on the ship, then by white men groping her as she was being auctioned off. She was raped repeatedly by her first owner resulting in 3 children.
It just is sadly outrageous how white people justified owning slaves by twistingly referencing the Bible. May god have mercy.
Judah is taken, along with many others, from her African village, chained and put on a ship bound for America. Being pretty made her an easy mark for sexual assault, first on the ship, then by white men groping her as she was being auctioned off. She was raped repeatedly by her first owner resulting in 3 children.
It just is sadly outrageous how white people justified owning slaves by twistingly referencing the Bible. May god have mercy.
March 11, 2021
Based on the African slave trade, it tells the story of Judah aged 12 who is taken from everything she has ever known and transported to America. A story of resilience and bravery, well researched and beautifully read. Thank you #NetGalley for the audiobook.
February 1, 2022
Based on the recorded history of a slave on the Belle Grove Plantation in Virginia, Send Judah First is the story of a young girl who is stolen from her African village and taken as a slave to a plantation in America.
March 29, 2021
This is a beautiful story about a young girl, Judah who is taken from her village in Africa and sold as a slave to a plantation in Virginia. It tells her story as a slave. Coming here and not knowing the language, and being assigned to work as a cook but not knowing how to cook "American food." Tigger warning- She was raped by her masters and their is abuse that was very common during this time. I loved Judah's strength through adversity!
The book gave me another perspective of how hard life was for slaves, and what a dark period in our history. I listened to the audio version. The narrator made it seem very realistic, but I had to really pay attention to her voice because of the accent. I felt like it added to the story, especially when she sang.
The book gave me another perspective of how hard life was for slaves, and what a dark period in our history. I listened to the audio version. The narrator made it seem very realistic, but I had to really pay attention to her voice because of the accent. I felt like it added to the story, especially when she sang.
March 8, 2021
I won a free kindle copy of this in a Goodreads Giveaway.
Wow. What an incredible story. While mostly fiction, a woman named Judah really did exist at Belle Grove where she lived until her early death at 42. This book was both moving and heartfelt, but also full of such sadness. As a mother, I can’t even begin to imagine the absolute heartbreak and fear and anxiety that she must have suffered from on a daily basis. My heart broke for her every time she mentioned her beautiful children.
I really appreciated the input of Lovejoy. Besides Judah, he was my favorite character. I don’t know if he really tried to free Judah or not, but it’s heartbreaking knowing that it never came to fruition and that he too died so young. When you’re on the right side of history, fighting for the rights of all mankind, it is an unfortunate price to pay.
The ending was rather abrupt, but I figured that it was how she went. One moment she was okay, the next she wasn’t. The slave life officially broke her, after birthing 12 children and losing her husband. (Did he die though? I don’t recall reading if that part was accurate to history.)
I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning more about what a slave had to endure during this unfortunate time period in American history. Even though it’s mainly a story of fiction, the fact is that, multiple someones, somewhere, endured this horrific life.
5+ stars
Wow. What an incredible story. While mostly fiction, a woman named Judah really did exist at Belle Grove where she lived until her early death at 42. This book was both moving and heartfelt, but also full of such sadness. As a mother, I can’t even begin to imagine the absolute heartbreak and fear and anxiety that she must have suffered from on a daily basis. My heart broke for her every time she mentioned her beautiful children.
I really appreciated the input of Lovejoy. Besides Judah, he was my favorite character. I don’t know if he really tried to free Judah or not, but it’s heartbreaking knowing that it never came to fruition and that he too died so young. When you’re on the right side of history, fighting for the rights of all mankind, it is an unfortunate price to pay.
The ending was rather abrupt, but I figured that it was how she went. One moment she was okay, the next she wasn’t. The slave life officially broke her, after birthing 12 children and losing her husband. (Did he die though? I don’t recall reading if that part was accurate to history.)
I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning more about what a slave had to endure during this unfortunate time period in American history. Even though it’s mainly a story of fiction, the fact is that, multiple someones, somewhere, endured this horrific life.
5+ stars
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 25, 2020
Really appreciated the creativity and complexity of Judah's story. Johnson does not simplify the realities of slavery while also honoring the inherent dignity of those history and time forgot. I especially enjoyed how he wove kitchen culture into the telling of Judah's story.
September 17, 2019
This is the erased life of an enslaved soul captured in Africa when she was an adolescent. I believe Johnson did a massive amount of research concerning the life of an African slave in the 18th century, but his presentation seems at odds with another book, "Letters from Belle Grove: The Private Papers of Nelly Conway Madison Hite and Ann Tunstall Maury Hite" compiled and edited by Jacob M. Blosser.
December 3, 2020
It was a decent book, nothing earth shattering. I thought it was cool that he gave a slave he read about historical her own story but since it is fiction then he could of added some twist and made it more compelling to read
July 23, 2019
An important piece of historical fiction which tells the story of an enslaved woman. It was written in an approachable style, even when approaching such challenging subject matter. I enjoyed it.
November 21, 2020
3.5 Simplistic story. Enjoyed as live near Belle Grove. Great book for a "new reader" of civil war history.
May 11, 2021
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Send Judah First: The Erased Life of an Enslaved Soul by Brian C. Johnson follows the life of an enslaved girl, kidnapped from Africa and sold in Virginia in the pre-American Civil War era. Dr. Johnson is a preacher, teacher, as well as finding time to write.
Judah’s life was shattered when she was stolen from her village in Africa. Judah was beaten, chained and enslaved, ending up as an enslaved cook at Belle Grove Plantation in Middletown, VA.
Judah cannot understand how her master, a reverend, can preach the Bible and also own people. Taking care of her children and cooking three meals a day for over 100 persons, Judah’s life is punishing – especially by today’s standards.
Altogether, Send Judah First: The Erased Life of an Enslaved Soul by Brian C. Johnson is enjoyable on several levels. It is a well written story, historically fascinating, as well as intellectually engaging and stimulating. Additionally, the story behind the novel is just as fascinating.
The story is told from the view point of Judah, an enslaved cook. The dialect and realism of speech, coupled with Judah’s keen insight, as well as a mechanism for her to overhear conversations works very well.
Judah is an enslaved cook, a most difficult job, which allows her to work inside. Dr. Johnson took care to particularly discuss the meal preparation – that alone was, for me, worth the price of admission.
In the novel, the author gives the plantation owner, James Madison‘s brother-in-law as a matter of fact, the role of a minister. This allows the characters to discuss their hypocritical stance on Christianity balanced against the institution of slavery in a most interesting manner. Mr. Johnson does admit that, in essence, he created this role solely for the religious discussion in the end notes.
As a teacher, Mr. Johnson took his class to the Belle Grove Plantation on a trip where he eventually found Judah’s name recorded. She was enslaved as a cook, and gave birth to twelve children. That’s it, a whole life summed up in a sentence or two.
Undoubtedly, each life is world of its own, Mr. Johnson created a fascinating, yet fictitious account of Judah’s life through impeccable research and abundance of talent. The audiobook was narrated by Elizabeth Isitor, a perfect choice that brought much to the story using her exotic voice and accent.
Send Judah First: The Erased Life of an Enslaved Soul by Brian C. Johnson follows the life of an enslaved girl, kidnapped from Africa and sold in Virginia in the pre-American Civil War era. Dr. Johnson is a preacher, teacher, as well as finding time to write.
Judah’s life was shattered when she was stolen from her village in Africa. Judah was beaten, chained and enslaved, ending up as an enslaved cook at Belle Grove Plantation in Middletown, VA.
Judah cannot understand how her master, a reverend, can preach the Bible and also own people. Taking care of her children and cooking three meals a day for over 100 persons, Judah’s life is punishing – especially by today’s standards.
Altogether, Send Judah First: The Erased Life of an Enslaved Soul by Brian C. Johnson is enjoyable on several levels. It is a well written story, historically fascinating, as well as intellectually engaging and stimulating. Additionally, the story behind the novel is just as fascinating.
The story is told from the view point of Judah, an enslaved cook. The dialect and realism of speech, coupled with Judah’s keen insight, as well as a mechanism for her to overhear conversations works very well.
Judah is an enslaved cook, a most difficult job, which allows her to work inside. Dr. Johnson took care to particularly discuss the meal preparation – that alone was, for me, worth the price of admission.
In the novel, the author gives the plantation owner, James Madison‘s brother-in-law as a matter of fact, the role of a minister. This allows the characters to discuss their hypocritical stance on Christianity balanced against the institution of slavery in a most interesting manner. Mr. Johnson does admit that, in essence, he created this role solely for the religious discussion in the end notes.
As a teacher, Mr. Johnson took his class to the Belle Grove Plantation on a trip where he eventually found Judah’s name recorded. She was enslaved as a cook, and gave birth to twelve children. That’s it, a whole life summed up in a sentence or two.
Undoubtedly, each life is world of its own, Mr. Johnson created a fascinating, yet fictitious account of Judah’s life through impeccable research and abundance of talent. The audiobook was narrated by Elizabeth Isitor, a perfect choice that brought much to the story using her exotic voice and accent.
April 16, 2021
I couldn’t stop reading this book until I finished it. This is a book every American should read at least once in their lifetime. I never knew I was interested in ‘Historical Fiction’ until I read ‘Send Judah First’ The Erased Life Of an Enslaved Soul by ‘Brian C. Johnson. This read was quite an eye opener. I won this book on a‘Goodread Giveaway’. Even though I’m under no obligation to review the book this is something I have always made a habit of doing, not only does it help us readers when choosing a book to read I also believe every author likes to hear a readers opinion on their story.
Obviously the author did a lot of research before writing this book. It is extremely well written. Mr. Johnson has taken a Slaves name from a listing of a real place and made a Fictional Story based on History. Very Clever!! A young girl was captured as a child from Africa and then sold into slavery. The story telling was incredibly interesting, the characters were believable and this was a well thought out plot line. The young slave child was somewhat of a genius, learning to cook in huge quantities. She took pride in her cooking and all of her duties. Just knowing what these Slaves had to endure in order to make a living and keep their families safe and provided for is mind boggling. The author has kept the memory of this young slave girl alive and he obviously feels it’s important that we all know how Slavery began and what struggles and hardships they had to face. The story has some heart wrenching moments. The author certainly knows how to capture his readers. Judah’s story was explained in great detail.
I personally knew very little about Slavery but the more I read the more intrigued I became. All these enslaved individuals whose names are erased from History with no records whatsoever are very tragic. Many of their stories untold but thanks to Mr. Johnson we get to have a little insight of what their lives were really like. I felt this was such a fascinating read. Judah’s recipes were included in the book. I read each one and thought how time consuming they must have been for Judah. This is my first book by this author and I guarantee you it certainly won’t be my last. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Obviously the author did a lot of research before writing this book. It is extremely well written. Mr. Johnson has taken a Slaves name from a listing of a real place and made a Fictional Story based on History. Very Clever!! A young girl was captured as a child from Africa and then sold into slavery. The story telling was incredibly interesting, the characters were believable and this was a well thought out plot line. The young slave child was somewhat of a genius, learning to cook in huge quantities. She took pride in her cooking and all of her duties. Just knowing what these Slaves had to endure in order to make a living and keep their families safe and provided for is mind boggling. The author has kept the memory of this young slave girl alive and he obviously feels it’s important that we all know how Slavery began and what struggles and hardships they had to face. The story has some heart wrenching moments. The author certainly knows how to capture his readers. Judah’s story was explained in great detail.
I personally knew very little about Slavery but the more I read the more intrigued I became. All these enslaved individuals whose names are erased from History with no records whatsoever are very tragic. Many of their stories untold but thanks to Mr. Johnson we get to have a little insight of what their lives were really like. I felt this was such a fascinating read. Judah’s recipes were included in the book. I read each one and thought how time consuming they must have been for Judah. This is my first book by this author and I guarantee you it certainly won’t be my last. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
March 14, 2021
“Captured and sold into slavery, a young African girl faces a harrowing new life in 19th-century America… Meet Judah in a powerful historical novel that reveals the life of one of the many enslaved people at Virginia’s Belle Grove Plantation.
The slave ledger at Virginia’s Belle Grove Plantation only reveals that Judah was purchased to be the cook, gave birth to 12 children, and died in April 1836. But, like the other 276 faceless names entered in that ledger, Judah lived. Brian C. Johnson’s important work of historical fiction goes beyond what is recorded to portray the depth, humanity, and vulnerability of a beautiful soul all but erased by history.”
•
This story was done so well. The author touched on difficulties that the slaves faced and gave the readers a small glimpse at those difficulties, but he didn’t relish on it. The narrator was absolutely fantastic and did a wonderful job. The only complaint I have about the audio version was around 45% of the way through the narrators voice echoed a lot and there were some weird sporadic background noises that was a bit distracting, but it subsided after about 55%. I wish we could have gotten a bit more out of the ending, but Judah I understand that not all slaves got a happy ending. I love a good historical fiction and this one was great!
Thank you to NetGalley, Hidden Shelf Publishing House, and the author Brian C. Johnson, for the ALC in return for an honest review.
•
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4)/5
The slave ledger at Virginia’s Belle Grove Plantation only reveals that Judah was purchased to be the cook, gave birth to 12 children, and died in April 1836. But, like the other 276 faceless names entered in that ledger, Judah lived. Brian C. Johnson’s important work of historical fiction goes beyond what is recorded to portray the depth, humanity, and vulnerability of a beautiful soul all but erased by history.”
•
This story was done so well. The author touched on difficulties that the slaves faced and gave the readers a small glimpse at those difficulties, but he didn’t relish on it. The narrator was absolutely fantastic and did a wonderful job. The only complaint I have about the audio version was around 45% of the way through the narrators voice echoed a lot and there were some weird sporadic background noises that was a bit distracting, but it subsided after about 55%. I wish we could have gotten a bit more out of the ending, but Judah I understand that not all slaves got a happy ending. I love a good historical fiction and this one was great!
Thank you to NetGalley, Hidden Shelf Publishing House, and the author Brian C. Johnson, for the ALC in return for an honest review.
•
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4)/5
March 18, 2021
The narrator Elizabeth Isitor did a great job in telling the story
I can’t image what it is like to be 12 years old, kidnapped, separated from family, ending up in a complete new environment, treated worse than an animal, chained and hungry while not understanding a word of the language spoken.
One of the sentences that got to me was when she thinks of her mother and hopes that she had died instead of having the life that Judah has full of shame and constant angst of the slave owners. Having a life that is never your own and at the mercy of the white man.
For the reviewers that did not like the ending. The book is fiction but the base is from documents (accounting ledgers and letters) from Bell Grove Plantation. The author made Judah come to life for us by describing what it is like to be the cook as a slave during that time period at the plantation. Like many others I would like to have known what happen to the children so decided to take a look at the bellegrove.org webpage. It looks like there is continuing research going on and Maria seems to be the only one that they seem to have info on as having four children. Hope the Historical Plantation will keep on with the research so that these people will not be forgotten.
I can’t image what it is like to be 12 years old, kidnapped, separated from family, ending up in a complete new environment, treated worse than an animal, chained and hungry while not understanding a word of the language spoken.
One of the sentences that got to me was when she thinks of her mother and hopes that she had died instead of having the life that Judah has full of shame and constant angst of the slave owners. Having a life that is never your own and at the mercy of the white man.
For the reviewers that did not like the ending. The book is fiction but the base is from documents (accounting ledgers and letters) from Bell Grove Plantation. The author made Judah come to life for us by describing what it is like to be the cook as a slave during that time period at the plantation. Like many others I would like to have known what happen to the children so decided to take a look at the bellegrove.org webpage. It looks like there is continuing research going on and Maria seems to be the only one that they seem to have info on as having four children. Hope the Historical Plantation will keep on with the research so that these people will not be forgotten.
March 30, 2021
Send Judah First: The Erased Life of an Enslaved Soul (Kindle Edition)
by Brian C. Johnson
Warning the book is not for children. It is historical fiction based on the limited slave records of the time the author shows the nature of the last African born slaves in southern America. Not only the conditions of the capture, sale and shipment of African slaves but also the public auctions here in the US. The book shows the difference of treatment, from men to women, and children. The brutal practices of slavery, from forced labor, ill rations, clothing, accommodation, but the bodily treatments as well. The abuse of the slave owners because of their political mindset, the religious mindset that they used to describe their power, and behavior. The simple thought that a slave is 3/5ths of a human being, to that they are the children of Cain. The book is explicate, and very very brutal. It has so many view points, form the field hand, to the skilled labor, to the house slaves, and the divisions that created the conflict with in Abolition and the end of slavery. The book is remarkable in its nature.
The audible version give smore of the story a web of reality. You can hear the languages spoken in Africa, and the emotion of the characters. Very well done.
by Brian C. Johnson
Warning the book is not for children. It is historical fiction based on the limited slave records of the time the author shows the nature of the last African born slaves in southern America. Not only the conditions of the capture, sale and shipment of African slaves but also the public auctions here in the US. The book shows the difference of treatment, from men to women, and children. The brutal practices of slavery, from forced labor, ill rations, clothing, accommodation, but the bodily treatments as well. The abuse of the slave owners because of their political mindset, the religious mindset that they used to describe their power, and behavior. The simple thought that a slave is 3/5ths of a human being, to that they are the children of Cain. The book is explicate, and very very brutal. It has so many view points, form the field hand, to the skilled labor, to the house slaves, and the divisions that created the conflict with in Abolition and the end of slavery. The book is remarkable in its nature.
The audible version give smore of the story a web of reality. You can hear the languages spoken in Africa, and the emotion of the characters. Very well done.
June 10, 2021
This is fantastic historical fiction that brings to life Judah, an enslaved woman at the Belle Grove Plantation in Virginia. Thank you, Brian C. Johnson, for creating what could have been Judah's life story. Judah lived a hard life as the cook of the plantation, and she was expected to produce huge, elaborate meals every day three times a day for both the white people and all of the enslaved people who kept the plantation running. This tired me out just reading about it. Judah's descriptions of the foods she was preparing made my mouth water!
This book brought out so many emotions in me. It is so incredibly sad and wrong that Judah was taken from her family and home, and sad that she had almost zero say in her life and how she wanted to live it, and the actions of the plantation owners and those of all but one white person in this book made me so very, very angry! All of these emotions are the exact reason Judah's story needed to be told.
I especially appreciated the conversations centered around religion that made the argument against racism. These were so very good!
Thank you to NetGalley and Hidden Shelf Publishing House for the audiobook copy of this book in exchange for my review.
This book brought out so many emotions in me. It is so incredibly sad and wrong that Judah was taken from her family and home, and sad that she had almost zero say in her life and how she wanted to live it, and the actions of the plantation owners and those of all but one white person in this book made me so very, very angry! All of these emotions are the exact reason Judah's story needed to be told.
I especially appreciated the conversations centered around religion that made the argument against racism. These were so very good!
Thank you to NetGalley and Hidden Shelf Publishing House for the audiobook copy of this book in exchange for my review.
March 10, 2021
For a long time slavery was a subject that wasn’t talked about in my family, because it was to painful, shameful to talk about that part of our (Afro American) history. I know my ancestors were brought over as slaves from my own DNA test and with the knowledge of the ages of my great great grandfather . So this story for me even though he used both valid information and his confession about how he do make up so based on the time period. Yuda was combination of all female slaves in history. They were not humans in the eyes of the white peoples, they were considered as property, and that’s the way they were treated, even the animals were higher on the property list then the slaves were, and this is what Johnson captured in his book. He involved my fears and my knowledge of the history of my own familiy ancestry! I love reading this book and made me hungry for more knowledge about that period. I grew up in Detroit in the 1950’s and saw the signs of white only over public restrooms , places to eat, place sleep and water fountains, I saw how my grandparents feared the white man. I am only two generations post slavery.
March 19, 2021
Send Judah First is the story of a slave named Judah from the moment of her capture until her death. Judah was a real woman, but this book is mostly speculation on what her life was like. There are only two documents in existence that name her, or tell us anything about her. I applaud Mr. Johnson for bringing her to life for us, but readers need to know that he honored her in this book, but fabricated her life. The book is good, and well worth your time. I received an audio ARC of the book from #NetGalley, and I felt that the narrator was easy to listen to, and that adding in the native African language was helpful. However, the narrator does mispronounce a number of different words. On that really bothered me is that for a time Judah was known as Suki which is pronounced Soo-Kee and the narrator called her Suh-kee. This was a common name at the time for slaves. These mispronunciations, Colonel, hearth, and others might be fixed by the time the audio book is in your possession making this part of my review null. Thank you #NetGalley for allowing me to give my voluntary and honest opinion on #SendJudahFirst.
This is a review of the audiobook.
This is a review of the audiobook.
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