Kristie answers “I have not finished the book, but wonder...”

Alyce asked this question about The Indigo Girl:

I have not finished the book, but wonder if a large segment of people would feel excluded reading a book in which slaves are property and Indians are a danger... I understand it's historical in the sense that slavery is a part of the American cultural fabric, but I feel like people of color might have little interest in this book. Which is sad. Can any people of color comment on this issue if they have read it?

Kristie I'm not a person of color, but Alyce, your concerns are the reason I had trouble with the book. Yes, Eliza was a strong woman who should be credited f…moreI'm not a person of color, but Alyce, your concerns are the reason I had trouble with the book. Yes, Eliza was a strong woman who should be credited for her bravery. Yes, she brought wealth to South Carolina and America due to her indigo, but on the backs of slavery. Africa should be wealthier today because the secrets were theirs, not ours, to profit from. Yes, she freed one slave (according the historical notes at the end of the book), but what about the others? Yes, she sought to be a kind and gentle slave-owner who taught slaves to read, but could she have done more to defy the institution of slavery?

On one hand, clearly she's a product of her time and place in history. I don't doubt that had she been born in another time or place, she would have been an abolitionist. But she was lived in the American South in the mid-1700s, where slavery was the norm for everyone she came into contact with. So it's hard to wonder whether she could have or should have done more. And she was a woman, not a man, which begs the question of how much power women actually had.

My biggest problem with this book is the voice. Why do we only hear from Eliza? If the story had been told with multiple points of view, including those of the slaves on her plantation, then at least it would be more balanced. As it is, we only hear Eliza's point of view, and clearly the author hopes we revere and sympathize with her. If we could hear multiple points of view, then we could wrestle with the questions above.

The South wants to commend its heroes, which I can understand. But we need to be careful about who our heroes are, especially when writing about a plantation in the 1700s American South.(less)

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Janet C-B Thought-provoking response. I will read the book, keeping your perspective in mind.
Aug 18, 2020 06:36AM · flag

Melody I agree, Eliza would have been an abolitionist today. If you've not read about the Grimke sisters of SC, their story is told in Sue Monk Kidd's histor ...more
Nov 18, 2021 02:39PM · flag

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