Sally, J. Schlenker
Review of Sally by Dawn Brookes 8th April 2018
Although this is written as a novel, it is actually semi-biographical. The author found gaps in the story of this extraordinary lady and opted to fill these gaps with fictional accounts.
It is a very interesting piece of family history and American history. Recent interest in family DNA makes the book relevant to now.
You have to admire Sally who was born a slave in hard times and the way she deals with abuse and the attitudes of the time.
Slaves were treated as white mans property and as such the women often gave birth to mixed race children. This was the case for Sally and her ancestors were surprised to discover that their genealogy went back to this era.
I enjoyed this book and it provided an uncomfortable but valuable insight into the darker sides of history. The book was written from two points of view and I found the time changes and perspectives a little bit confusing at times but they were, nevertheless useful perspectives.
I was not familiar with this period in American history but it was brought to life through this incredible woman who lived to be 110 which is amazing in itself considering the time she was born into.
