Book reviews

Slaves in the Family
Edward Ball Book Review

Read a book review online (click here to search reviews)
Books Movies  
Sci-Fi/Fantasy Mystery/Thriller Literature Romance Biography Video
Edward Ball Books
New book search
Edward Ball Message Board
Get more information about this book
Plot Summary of Slaves in the Family
"Edward Ball traces his past back to the large South Carolina rice plantations once controlled by family patriarchs and worked by hundreds of enslaved Africans over more than 150 years. Arriving in the "New World" just before the 1700's, Elias "Red Cap" Ball sets out to make his fortune as a farmer. Ball enslaved generations of men, women and children. The British colonists did not invent slavery, but they perfected it as a means of producing great revenue from vast crops of rice, corn, tobacco, and cotton, while dehumanizing all those under its whip.

Ball searches and finds the legacy of his family's past in the form of dozens of descendants of the slaves who worked and lived on the plantations once owned by his namesakes. Many of those whose past is forever connected to his are grateful to learn of their past, much of which had been a difficult and often tragic mystery. "

David Fletcher, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of Slaves in the Family
Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Kind Of History
History of a people? Yes
Nationality? - American--Black
Social history? Yes
Kind of social history - history of minorities

Subjects of this Historical Account
Ethnicity (if plays a major part) - Black
Is the portrayal sympathetic? - Sympathetic
Intelligence of subject of history: - Smart

Main Adversary
From a certain profession/group? - slavers
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - throughout most of the book.
Nationality? - American
Ethnicity? (if plays big part) - White/European
Is the portrayal sympathetic? - Neutral

Setting
United States Yes
The US: - Southeast
Farm/Ranch: - farm - lots of descript of crop raising
Farms/Ranches? Yes
If applicable, liberal/conservative? - Historian is moderately liberal

Style
How much gore? - 2 ()
How fast-paced is the book? - 3 ()
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
Book makes you feel... - challenged
How much focus on stories of individuals? - Focuses on brief history of a lot of players
Sex in book? Yes
Minor characters feature lots of: - farmers
Pictures/Illustrations? - A lot
Maps necessary? - Necessary maps provided
Length of book - 450 pages+
How much emphasis on small details? - 8 ()
Most similar books to Slaves in the Family
A Forgotten Negro League Star: A Personal Look at Al Burrows by Cheryl Robinson
My Head is Bloody, But Unbowed by Peggy Butler
Primetime Blues: African Americans on Network Television by Donald Bogle
The Longest Debate by Charles and Barbara Whalen
Urban Protest in Seventeeth Century France by William Beik


Click here for more information about this book


Edward Ball Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR:
  
David Fletcher  

SCHOLARS:


Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).
Three ways to search for History (in beta) books!

1) One-click plot searches! Simply click on a plot or subplot below!

Economic History?

History of a journey/colonization?

History of a people?

History of a science?

History of Art?

History of cloak & dagger?

History of disaster/tragedy?

History of food?

History of military?

History of religion?

History of words/phrases?

Social history?



or 2) Simple lookup
(title or author)

or
3) Even more search options available with a Detailed Booksearch (click here)

Use our site!
17 FREE Sci-Fi Ebooks!
FREE "How to be happy" Ebook!
Funny Videos
Feedback


Most recent discussions:

General Book Talk
Book writing discussion
Off-topic message board
George W. Bush 1:35:50 AM
Robert Segarra 1:49:56 PM
Karen Armstrong 10:51:40 AM
Slavomir Rawicz 6:40:45 PM
Anonymous 1:39:52 PM
Deric Longden 9:20:02 AM
Suzanne Weyn 6:24:19 PM
Colin Forbes 12:23:54 PM
John Christopher 5:12:45 AM
Tom Clancy 2:19:45 AM
Margaret Peterson Haddix 5:36:55 PM
Nikolai Tolstoy 7:46:16 AM
J.K. Rowling 11:40:22 PM
Jack Higgins 4:54:08 PM
Eloise Jarvis McGraw 12:51:17 PM
Jane Rubino 1:21:00 PM
Lori Wick 2:11:45 AM
Betty Mahmoody 5:57:33 PM
Patricia Cornwell 2:48:17 PM
Andrew Clements 9:13:44 PM

Silicon Valley
More message boards