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A Terrible Intimacy: Interracial Life in the Slaveholding South
From a Bancroft Prize-winning historian, a revelatory new account of slavery, recovering the lives of those who lived in small households, in close and intimate proximity to their enslavers
A white man hosts a wedding party for his enslaved servant and finds himself charged with a criminal offense; an overseer ends up dead after getting drunk with a slave; a slaveholder courts a Black woman owned by his neighbor and starts a family with her.
A Terrible Intimacy recounts six criminal cases in one Virginia county in the years preceding the Civil War. Witnesses of both races describe a startling range of relationships between white and Black.
Contrary to our common assumption, fully half the enslaved people in the South lived not on sprawling plantations but on small properties. Cruelty was baked into the system, yet in these households of five, ten, or fifteen people, exploiters and exploited knew each other well, sharing religious worship, folkways, and complex domestic dynamics. White and Black people drank, played, slept, and even committed crimes together. Yet whippings happened often, enslaved families were split up, and in 1861, most white men in Prince Edward County were ready to fight to defend their right to own other human beings.
These relationships between slaves and enslavers make clear that white Americans recognized the humanity of Black people, even as they remained committed to a system that abused and often terrorized them. Offering striking new insights into the true complexity of life in the old South, A Terrible Intimacy reconfigures our understanding of this darkest of histories.
A white man hosts a wedding party for his enslaved servant and finds himself charged with a criminal offense; an overseer ends up dead after getting drunk with a slave; a slaveholder courts a Black woman owned by his neighbor and starts a family with her.
A Terrible Intimacy recounts six criminal cases in one Virginia county in the years preceding the Civil War. Witnesses of both races describe a startling range of relationships between white and Black.
Contrary to our common assumption, fully half the enslaved people in the South lived not on sprawling plantations but on small properties. Cruelty was baked into the system, yet in these households of five, ten, or fifteen people, exploiters and exploited knew each other well, sharing religious worship, folkways, and complex domestic dynamics. White and Black people drank, played, slept, and even committed crimes together. Yet whippings happened often, enslaved families were split up, and in 1861, most white men in Prince Edward County were ready to fight to defend their right to own other human beings.
These relationships between slaves and enslavers make clear that white Americans recognized the humanity of Black people, even as they remained committed to a system that abused and often terrorized them. Offering striking new insights into the true complexity of life in the old South, A Terrible Intimacy reconfigures our understanding of this darkest of histories.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published April 14, 2026
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Review of advance copy received from Goodreads Giveaways
A Terrible Intimacy is a difficult but necessary read. What I appreciated most is how Ely lets the facts speak for themselves without leaning too heavily in any direction. I learned things I didn’t know, and still cried over the things I already did.
One line that stayed with me was Ely’s observation that “anybody who spends a lot of time burrowing through primary records of the old South is going to find almost anything they can imagine & more than a little that they never imagined.” That truth sits under every chapter.
I especially valued how he traced the individuals involved beyond the court case, treating them as full people rather than footnotes. And what hurt the most is realizing how close this history really is — far more recent than we often admit.
Painful, illuminating, and deeply human. This one lingers.
One line that stayed with me was Ely’s observation that “anybody who spends a lot of time burrowing through primary records of the old South is going to find almost anything they can imagine & more than a little that they never imagined.” That truth sits under every chapter.
I especially valued how he traced the individuals involved beyond the court case, treating them as full people rather than footnotes. And what hurt the most is realizing how close this history really is — far more recent than we often admit.
Painful, illuminating, and deeply human. This one lingers.
October 27, 2025
This book was hard to read at times. But reading about the days of slavery is always hard to read about.
I certainly learned a lot I didn’t know about.
Very intense read.
I certainly learned a lot I didn’t know about.
Very intense read.
April 19, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ALC.
I didn't read the description before requesting, only the title, so when I started listening to this, I got bamboozled, but that's on me. This is not about interracial individuals, but about inter-racial relationships between Black enslaved people and the White people around them, sometimes their owners, sometimes others. The hyphen is doing some heavy lifting here.
This was still very interesting, and in a way I'm glad I didn't read the description as I might not have picked it up otherwise. This book detailed several court cases of White vs Black individuals, the various testimonies and the relationships between various Black (oftentimes enskaved) people and their White owners, neighbours, friends. It looks at the power structures within courts of the times, and what this meant for the Black subjects of this book. Definitely super interesting, and the archival work done here was really thorough.
One thing I would have wanted a little more of was an analysis of the dynamics, rather than pure description. While I don't mind coming to my own conclusions, in this kind of book I do also expect the author to analyse their findings instead of basically just giving an account of the archival records. That was kind of a shame, but the book was very informative either way.
I didn't read the description before requesting, only the title, so when I started listening to this, I got bamboozled, but that's on me. This is not about interracial individuals, but about inter-racial relationships between Black enslaved people and the White people around them, sometimes their owners, sometimes others. The hyphen is doing some heavy lifting here.
This was still very interesting, and in a way I'm glad I didn't read the description as I might not have picked it up otherwise. This book detailed several court cases of White vs Black individuals, the various testimonies and the relationships between various Black (oftentimes enskaved) people and their White owners, neighbours, friends. It looks at the power structures within courts of the times, and what this meant for the Black subjects of this book. Definitely super interesting, and the archival work done here was really thorough.
One thing I would have wanted a little more of was an analysis of the dynamics, rather than pure description. While I don't mind coming to my own conclusions, in this kind of book I do also expect the author to analyse their findings instead of basically just giving an account of the archival records. That was kind of a shame, but the book was very informative either way.
April 22, 2026
A Terrible Intimacy offers an undeniably interesting and somewhat fresh perspective on slavery, especially in its focus on close, everyday relationships between enslaved people and enslavers. The use of court cases and firsthand testimony gives it a strong historical foundation, and I can appreciate the author’s effort to complicate the narrative in a meaningful way. That said, despite the intriguing premise, it never fully pulled me in. The storytelling felt dry and at times overly detailed, making it hard to stay engaged with the individuals at the center of the book. I found myself appreciating the ideas more than the reading experience itself—thought-provoking in theory, but ultimately not very compelling in execution.
April 13, 2026
A Terrible Intimacy: Interracial Life in the Slaveholding South by Melvin Patrick Ely was narrated by Janina Edwards and Ron Butler. This challenging subject deserves careful examination. While it offered a serious look at slavery, I found it rather dry. The narrators were competent, but the overall tone was bland, largely due to the reliance on court transcripts. Although I gained some insights into the court system of that era, I wished for more detailed descriptions. I would rate this book 3 out of 5 stars.
Thanks, Macmillan Audio via NetGalley.
Thanks, Macmillan Audio via NetGalley.
May 9, 2026
What fascinated me most about this book was the structure. Melvin Ely walks readers through six court cases and lets the testimonies, arguments, and records unfold piece by piece, so at times it almost feels like you’re sitting in the courtroom as a juror trying to understand the people involved alongside everyone else.
I also appreciated that Ely didn’t leave these individuals trapped within the courtroom record itself. He followed many of their lives afterward, which gave the book a level of humanity and emotional weight I honestly wasn’t expecting from a history book this dense. It was a nice closure to the heavy cases presented.
Some sections were difficult to read, but I also found myself surprised by how layered and contradictory these systems could be. The book never lets history feel distant or simplified.
I received an ARC copy of this book, and it absolutely made me interested in reading more of Melvin Ely’s work.
I also appreciated that Ely didn’t leave these individuals trapped within the courtroom record itself. He followed many of their lives afterward, which gave the book a level of humanity and emotional weight I honestly wasn’t expecting from a history book this dense. It was a nice closure to the heavy cases presented.
Some sections were difficult to read, but I also found myself surprised by how layered and contradictory these systems could be. The book never lets history feel distant or simplified.
I received an ARC copy of this book, and it absolutely made me interested in reading more of Melvin Ely’s work.
April 17, 2026
4.5
This was not only a powerful book, but I love how it was presented. I love how Ely spoke to the reader, making sure we understood everything that was happening. I felt like he was a friend talking to me, when I was a bit worried it'd be too academic.
I also enjoyed all his perspectives. He really showed us how evil this time period was, and he drove home the fact there were no "good" enslavers. Even in "kind" acts, there is evil there, as they do nothing to end these evil acts.
This was not only a powerful book, but I love how it was presented. I love how Ely spoke to the reader, making sure we understood everything that was happening. I felt like he was a friend talking to me, when I was a bit worried it'd be too academic.
I also enjoyed all his perspectives. He really showed us how evil this time period was, and he drove home the fact there were no "good" enslavers. Even in "kind" acts, there is evil there, as they do nothing to end these evil acts.
April 14, 2026
A hard but necessary read. All the stories are heartbreaking. Im glad i got to read and learn. Its a horrific past and i really wish we could learn from this.
Thanks NetGalley for this ARC and audio.
Thanks NetGalley for this ARC and audio.
April 24, 2026
To begin with, that eloquent cover. It repays study.
The enslaved woman at right must be significant to the white man — her enslaver, presumably — and to his child, or she would not have been included in the photograph. Where's the child's mother? Is the enslaved woman a stand-in?
But also. The Black woman is situated apart from the white man. He doesn't embrace her, nor does she embrace him. He is positioned between her and the child — this too is something to wonder about. The child is very young: too young, one suspects, to have absorbed the crucial lessons that will (almost certainly) someday prevent (protect) him from regarding the woman and others like her as beings endowed with rights. Maybe, if the father/enslaver hadn't positioned himself between them, the child would reach out to the woman. What would that mean, to the child, to the father, to her?
As for the woman … What is the look on her face? I can’t even begin to interpret it — actually, any attempt feels presumptuous. Though almost in spite of myself I think she seems sad. I note these things: she’s positioned behind the man, and lower. She’s likely shorter than he, but still that latter seems significant. Her headwrap is made of material with the same pattern as her shawl. I wonder about the quality of the cloth. Her arms are folded. Do we think her arms are empty? Does she have a child of her own, and if so where is that child?
I requested this ARC because one of the narrators, Ron Butler, also reads the extraordinary and harrowing “The Half Has Never Been Told” (Janina Edwards performs the testimony quoted from each trial discussed in “A Terrible Intimacy,” and she too is splendid). Also, Melvin Patrick Ely has won the Bancroft Prize, so that stood as a recommendation. Despite these things I was expecting a dutiful slog. I was wrong.
Ely undertakes an analysis of six criminal cases in antebellum Virginia — actually, the last trial was held after Fort Sumter, so technically not quite ante — that involved enslaved people as defendants and witnesses. I was astonished to learn that enslaved defendants in criminal trials were entitled to legal representation, paid for by their enslavers; even more astonishingly, in the trial of a man who killed his “master,” the legal fees were paid by the master’s estate. And the defense lawyer might well put up a vigorous and conscientious defense. An enslaved man might get drunk with an overseer. An enslaved man charged with rape of a white woman was far less likely to be lynched in the prewar South than in the post–Civil War South. He might even be acquitted — though, as Ely points out, this might result from the usual disparagement of a woman who has accused a man of rape. Black people, enslaved and free, might testify in criminal trials …
… but a Black defendant would not be permitted to testify against a white person. The character of an enslaved Black defendant might be praised — in these terms: “a humble, obedient boy.” (A “boy” in his twenties, for example.) The same lawyers who supplied an enslaved man with an excellent defense would argue even more vigorously in the defense of slavery and of secession. It didn’t do to be too brutal toward one’s human property, but on the other hand nobody was going to call out a prosperous man who inflicted dreadful tortures on the slave who eventually killed him. White people could simultaneously express, and act on, respect and even admiration of an enslaved person’s skills, and not permit themselves to draw the obvious conclusion — well, it’s a conclusion that seems obvious to “us,” whoever “us” is, nowadays. Mostly it does.
Revelatory, baffling, horrific, and around to baffling again. Brilliant history, awe-inspiring research, and I was riveted. Many thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the audio ARC.
P.S. I was discussing “A Terrible Intimacy” with a friend the other day, who was familiar with “The Half Has Never Been Told.” He put me on to Seth Rockman’s “Plantation Goods,” a material history of slavery: who made the clothes worn by the enslaved, their shoes, the tools they used, etc. I think these books might make a trilogy.
The enslaved woman at right must be significant to the white man — her enslaver, presumably — and to his child, or she would not have been included in the photograph. Where's the child's mother? Is the enslaved woman a stand-in?
But also. The Black woman is situated apart from the white man. He doesn't embrace her, nor does she embrace him. He is positioned between her and the child — this too is something to wonder about. The child is very young: too young, one suspects, to have absorbed the crucial lessons that will (almost certainly) someday prevent (protect) him from regarding the woman and others like her as beings endowed with rights. Maybe, if the father/enslaver hadn't positioned himself between them, the child would reach out to the woman. What would that mean, to the child, to the father, to her?
As for the woman … What is the look on her face? I can’t even begin to interpret it — actually, any attempt feels presumptuous. Though almost in spite of myself I think she seems sad. I note these things: she’s positioned behind the man, and lower. She’s likely shorter than he, but still that latter seems significant. Her headwrap is made of material with the same pattern as her shawl. I wonder about the quality of the cloth. Her arms are folded. Do we think her arms are empty? Does she have a child of her own, and if so where is that child?
I requested this ARC because one of the narrators, Ron Butler, also reads the extraordinary and harrowing “The Half Has Never Been Told” (Janina Edwards performs the testimony quoted from each trial discussed in “A Terrible Intimacy,” and she too is splendid). Also, Melvin Patrick Ely has won the Bancroft Prize, so that stood as a recommendation. Despite these things I was expecting a dutiful slog. I was wrong.
Ely undertakes an analysis of six criminal cases in antebellum Virginia — actually, the last trial was held after Fort Sumter, so technically not quite ante — that involved enslaved people as defendants and witnesses. I was astonished to learn that enslaved defendants in criminal trials were entitled to legal representation, paid for by their enslavers; even more astonishingly, in the trial of a man who killed his “master,” the legal fees were paid by the master’s estate. And the defense lawyer might well put up a vigorous and conscientious defense. An enslaved man might get drunk with an overseer. An enslaved man charged with rape of a white woman was far less likely to be lynched in the prewar South than in the post–Civil War South. He might even be acquitted — though, as Ely points out, this might result from the usual disparagement of a woman who has accused a man of rape. Black people, enslaved and free, might testify in criminal trials …
… but a Black defendant would not be permitted to testify against a white person. The character of an enslaved Black defendant might be praised — in these terms: “a humble, obedient boy.” (A “boy” in his twenties, for example.) The same lawyers who supplied an enslaved man with an excellent defense would argue even more vigorously in the defense of slavery and of secession. It didn’t do to be too brutal toward one’s human property, but on the other hand nobody was going to call out a prosperous man who inflicted dreadful tortures on the slave who eventually killed him. White people could simultaneously express, and act on, respect and even admiration of an enslaved person’s skills, and not permit themselves to draw the obvious conclusion — well, it’s a conclusion that seems obvious to “us,” whoever “us” is, nowadays. Mostly it does.
Revelatory, baffling, horrific, and around to baffling again. Brilliant history, awe-inspiring research, and I was riveted. Many thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the audio ARC.
P.S. I was discussing “A Terrible Intimacy” with a friend the other day, who was familiar with “The Half Has Never Been Told.” He put me on to Seth Rockman’s “Plantation Goods,” a material history of slavery: who made the clothes worn by the enslaved, their shoes, the tools they used, etc. I think these books might make a trilogy.
Review of advance copy received from Goodreads Giveaways
A Terrible Intimacy: Interracial Life in the Slaveholding South 🕯️📚
by Melvin Patrick Ely
Thank you to Henry Holt for the ARC 🤍
This is not an easy read, and it is not meant to be. A Terrible Intimacy is deeply researched, uncomfortable, and necessary, the kind of history that forces you to sit with contradiction rather than resolve it neatly.
Ely centers six criminal cases in antebellum Virginia, using them to reconstruct the lived realities of enslaved people and enslavers who existed in close, daily proximity. What emerges is not a softened version of slavery, but a more complicated and disturbing one. Intimacy did not mean equality, and proximity did not lessen brutality.
What worked really well
• Meticulous research grounded in court records and primary sources 📜
• Challenges oversimplified narratives about slavery
• Highlights the tension between human connection and systemic violence
• Clear, careful writing that respects the weight of the subject
• Forces the reader to confront moral and historical complexity
One of the most striking elements is Ely’s refusal to flatten these relationships into easy binaries. He shows how enslaved and white individuals could share space, religion, even moments of familiarity, while still operating within a system defined by coercion, violence, and ownership. That tension is the core of the book, and it is handled with care.
At the same time, this is a dense and sometimes fragmented reading experience. Because Ely is working directly from historical records, he often has to pause, explain, and reconstruct context, which can interrupt narrative flow. It reads more like historical investigation than traditional storytelling.
Things to know going in
• Emotionally heavy and intellectually demanding
• More analytical than narrative-driven
• Requires patience with structure and pacing
• Best suited for readers who enjoy deep historical work
This is not a casual history book, but it is an important one. It expands the conversation around slavery by examining the uncomfortable reality that recognition of humanity coexisted with the active maintenance of inhuman systems. That contradiction lingers long after the final page.
Overall, a powerful, sobering work that prioritizes truth over comfort 🕯️
by Melvin Patrick Ely
Thank you to Henry Holt for the ARC 🤍
This is not an easy read, and it is not meant to be. A Terrible Intimacy is deeply researched, uncomfortable, and necessary, the kind of history that forces you to sit with contradiction rather than resolve it neatly.
Ely centers six criminal cases in antebellum Virginia, using them to reconstruct the lived realities of enslaved people and enslavers who existed in close, daily proximity. What emerges is not a softened version of slavery, but a more complicated and disturbing one. Intimacy did not mean equality, and proximity did not lessen brutality.
What worked really well
• Meticulous research grounded in court records and primary sources 📜
• Challenges oversimplified narratives about slavery
• Highlights the tension between human connection and systemic violence
• Clear, careful writing that respects the weight of the subject
• Forces the reader to confront moral and historical complexity
One of the most striking elements is Ely’s refusal to flatten these relationships into easy binaries. He shows how enslaved and white individuals could share space, religion, even moments of familiarity, while still operating within a system defined by coercion, violence, and ownership. That tension is the core of the book, and it is handled with care.
At the same time, this is a dense and sometimes fragmented reading experience. Because Ely is working directly from historical records, he often has to pause, explain, and reconstruct context, which can interrupt narrative flow. It reads more like historical investigation than traditional storytelling.
Things to know going in
• Emotionally heavy and intellectually demanding
• More analytical than narrative-driven
• Requires patience with structure and pacing
• Best suited for readers who enjoy deep historical work
This is not a casual history book, but it is an important one. It expands the conversation around slavery by examining the uncomfortable reality that recognition of humanity coexisted with the active maintenance of inhuman systems. That contradiction lingers long after the final page.
Overall, a powerful, sobering work that prioritizes truth over comfort 🕯️
May 3, 2026
When you think about it, isn't it obvious that if human beings share their daily lives, sometimes for their whole life, they will develop deep relationships? This book about life in Prince Edward County, Virginia in the decades before the Civil War, painstakingly analyzes and reveals close interracial relationships by means of reviewing court cases where crimes were committed that involve both black and white people.
The Gone With the Wind sort of story we are mostly told about interracial relations in the old South is a fairytale of course, one that we may have internalized lock, stock, and barrel, but this book should cause us to re-evaluate our understanding. The first surprise, for me, was that the law and life as it was lived by black people before the Civil War was quite different, and often more just and fair, than life after Emancipation when the Jim Crow laws came into effect.
The conclusion reached by the author is that while white people were capable and willing to have compassion for and even defend a black person on trial for a crime, and while they were cognizant of the cruelty of the system of slavery, virtually all of them were willing to go to war to defend it. We should look around us today and think whether losing the Civil War really changed much. Many white people today still believe white people should be the ruling class. This book unravels some of the cunning self-delusion that supports the belief in white supremacy.
I've given it four stars instead of five because it is dense and not such easy reading. Given the intensity of the subject, I appreciate the author's thorough research and was willing to forego easy reading in the interest of deep understanding.
The Gone With the Wind sort of story we are mostly told about interracial relations in the old South is a fairytale of course, one that we may have internalized lock, stock, and barrel, but this book should cause us to re-evaluate our understanding. The first surprise, for me, was that the law and life as it was lived by black people before the Civil War was quite different, and often more just and fair, than life after Emancipation when the Jim Crow laws came into effect.
The conclusion reached by the author is that while white people were capable and willing to have compassion for and even defend a black person on trial for a crime, and while they were cognizant of the cruelty of the system of slavery, virtually all of them were willing to go to war to defend it. We should look around us today and think whether losing the Civil War really changed much. Many white people today still believe white people should be the ruling class. This book unravels some of the cunning self-delusion that supports the belief in white supremacy.
I've given it four stars instead of five because it is dense and not such easy reading. Given the intensity of the subject, I appreciate the author's thorough research and was willing to forego easy reading in the interest of deep understanding.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Okay, I've been trying to figure out how many stars to give this one, and I finally decided the stars don't actually matter. Let me explain.
A Terrible Intimacy by Melvin Patrick Ely is wonderful and eye-opening, but probably for a smaller audience than it deserves. Ely looks at six different court cases in antebellum Virginia where people from each side of the racial divide are involved. Ely has to do a lot of work to make these cases make sense. He uses the actual trial transcripts and then has to basically translate them for today's audience. He also needs to do a fair bit of extrapolation and guessing to fill in the gaps. As a piece of historical reporting, I think Ely has done an exceptional job.
That said, for a casual person who looks at the absolutely striking cover photo, I think this might be too much of a leap. First, it cannot be overstated how excellent the cover photo is. However, it is slightly misleading. Of the six cases, only one lends itself to what is probably expected by the cover. Also, Ely does what he can, but this book is a bunch of stops and starts. It's Ely needing to hold the reader's hand to explain things and it can really grind the narrative to a halt. This is not a criticism, as there is no other way for Ely to do this with what he has. However, I'd be remiss not to point out that this book may be best for people who love history (me!) and who would fully give themselves over to the way the stories are told. Casual readers may not be able to get into the flow.
(This book was provided as an advanced reader copy by Henry Holt and Co.)
A Terrible Intimacy by Melvin Patrick Ely is wonderful and eye-opening, but probably for a smaller audience than it deserves. Ely looks at six different court cases in antebellum Virginia where people from each side of the racial divide are involved. Ely has to do a lot of work to make these cases make sense. He uses the actual trial transcripts and then has to basically translate them for today's audience. He also needs to do a fair bit of extrapolation and guessing to fill in the gaps. As a piece of historical reporting, I think Ely has done an exceptional job.
That said, for a casual person who looks at the absolutely striking cover photo, I think this might be too much of a leap. First, it cannot be overstated how excellent the cover photo is. However, it is slightly misleading. Of the six cases, only one lends itself to what is probably expected by the cover. Also, Ely does what he can, but this book is a bunch of stops and starts. It's Ely needing to hold the reader's hand to explain things and it can really grind the narrative to a halt. This is not a criticism, as there is no other way for Ely to do this with what he has. However, I'd be remiss not to point out that this book may be best for people who love history (me!) and who would fully give themselves over to the way the stories are told. Casual readers may not be able to get into the flow.
(This book was provided as an advanced reader copy by Henry Holt and Co.)
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
First, thank you to Henry Holt & Company for the opportunity to read this ARC. As I’m sure was the case for many of us, the cover is what caught my eye but it was the blurb that solidified my interest in reading this. As an African-American who has worked on my tracing my genealogy for over a decade I’ve found that I truly enjoy the often messy nature of history, especially uniquely American history. Professor Melvin Patrick Ely takes a period of American history that we often feel we know everything about and reminds us that nothing in this world is ever as simple as we think.
“A Terrible Intimacy” explores the complex Relationships between white southerners (from planters to the more poor folks, to those who didn’t own slaves) and free and enslaved black people through a series of six legal cases recorded for posterity within the Commonwealth of Virginia. By dissecting these cases using only the records as written Ely truly explores the shades of gray within American history.
This is a nonfiction book, it’s not historical fiction nor narrative nonfiction, this is written by an academic but I never found it boring. I thought the writing was very accessible. The writing was easy to digest even with the need to breakdown the legalese, the change in courtroom conduct and the changes in how American’s use language in the last 200+ years. But still there were moments during these trials that I was shocked by witness statements and testimony, things Ely points out in the historical record that I wouldn’t have expected. I had my moments of feeling like I’d experienced a plot twist from a piece of genre fiction.
The subject matter is heavy - chattel slavery and some of these are actual criminal trials. And yet, Professor Ely does a masterful job of showing us the fallacy in the belief that the enslaved never fought back AND the fallacy in the belief that a white person wouldn’t have spoken against another white person on the behalf of a enslaved individual.
I truly enjoyed the unique way this history was presented and expounded upon. And honestly my favorite parts came near the end with the Postscript and the Appendix with the complete text of testimony that wasn’t used in the main portion of the book. Both sections added a lot of depth and color to the stories he chose to cover. By the time I finished reading I was convinced the title and the cover were perfect for the content.
I plan on buying a physical copy for my personal collection. This may not be for everyone, especially those not used to reading nonfiction or work by researchers. I personally wish he could have expanded the research to more states. But I will absolutely recommend this book to those looking for a unique, fact based, snapshot of the complicated history of race relations in the Antebellum South.
“A Terrible Intimacy” explores the complex Relationships between white southerners (from planters to the more poor folks, to those who didn’t own slaves) and free and enslaved black people through a series of six legal cases recorded for posterity within the Commonwealth of Virginia. By dissecting these cases using only the records as written Ely truly explores the shades of gray within American history.
This is a nonfiction book, it’s not historical fiction nor narrative nonfiction, this is written by an academic but I never found it boring. I thought the writing was very accessible. The writing was easy to digest even with the need to breakdown the legalese, the change in courtroom conduct and the changes in how American’s use language in the last 200+ years. But still there were moments during these trials that I was shocked by witness statements and testimony, things Ely points out in the historical record that I wouldn’t have expected. I had my moments of feeling like I’d experienced a plot twist from a piece of genre fiction.
The subject matter is heavy - chattel slavery and some of these are actual criminal trials. And yet, Professor Ely does a masterful job of showing us the fallacy in the belief that the enslaved never fought back AND the fallacy in the belief that a white person wouldn’t have spoken against another white person on the behalf of a enslaved individual.
I truly enjoyed the unique way this history was presented and expounded upon. And honestly my favorite parts came near the end with the Postscript and the Appendix with the complete text of testimony that wasn’t used in the main portion of the book. Both sections added a lot of depth and color to the stories he chose to cover. By the time I finished reading I was convinced the title and the cover were perfect for the content.
I plan on buying a physical copy for my personal collection. This may not be for everyone, especially those not used to reading nonfiction or work by researchers. I personally wish he could have expanded the research to more states. But I will absolutely recommend this book to those looking for a unique, fact based, snapshot of the complicated history of race relations in the Antebellum South.
April 27, 2026
"A Terrible Intimacy" by Melvin Patrick Ely is an interesting nonfiction book about the interactions between enslaved Black people and white people in antebellum Virginia, as shown through the actual transcripts of real court cases from that time. The transcripts revealed an intimate and sometimes surprising glimpse into what life could be like in the years leading up to the Civil War. As a former defense attorney and public defender, it was fascinating to read the vigorous defenses put on for the enslaved people, whose alleged victims in these cases were white, by white defense attorneys who also both owned slaves themselves and strongly supported the institution of slavery, even agreeing that 'the defense of slavery was worth disunion and war." Even though these attorneys witnessed firsthand the suffering caused by slavery and seemed to view the enslaved people they represented as human, they still adamantly supported the continued existence of slavery.
This is a very intense and, at times, painful read. Unfortunately, it was also rather dry, even for someone who is accustomed to reading court transcripts and legal papers. I wish the author would have elaborated more on the stories behind the "characters" in the cases and society in general, instead of just relying so much on verbatim quotes from the transcripts. I longed for more detailed descriptions, analysis, and insight beyond just was contained in the court documents. It was a very good idea for a book, but the actual execution was a bit lacking in my opinion.
This is a very intense and, at times, painful read. Unfortunately, it was also rather dry, even for someone who is accustomed to reading court transcripts and legal papers. I wish the author would have elaborated more on the stories behind the "characters" in the cases and society in general, instead of just relying so much on verbatim quotes from the transcripts. I longed for more detailed descriptions, analysis, and insight beyond just was contained in the court documents. It was a very good idea for a book, but the actual execution was a bit lacking in my opinion.
Review of advance copy received from Goodreads Giveaways
I received this as a ARC, from a giveaway.
This is a well written book about an overlooked topic such as the intimacy and relations between the enslaved and the owners. Intimacy in many forms such as familial, personal relationships. If you’re wanting a book with detailed well written honesty this is for you. It explores the dynamics between slave and owner, letting on to how intimate the human connection was between these people. The connotation of intimate being personal and complex. It somehow does this by sharing the brutal and blunt nature of slavery, utilizing the situational details to show the human characteristics of slaves. It shows that despite the brutal nature of slavery, these were acts done on humans, and the owners were fully aware of their human capacities. It makes the viewer digest the brutality of slavery along with the complexity of human emotion. It forces the reader to view all parties as humans and the disputes as real, like these things are happening modern day to the people you recognize such as neighbors. It is a heavy read that takes away the barrier of “it was a different time” and subjects the reader to really think about all parties. The close proximity tensions between the two groups is usually never looked at from these angles. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. As a history major, I appreciate how this book looks at slavery beyond the traditional plantation setting.
This is a well written book about an overlooked topic such as the intimacy and relations between the enslaved and the owners. Intimacy in many forms such as familial, personal relationships. If you’re wanting a book with detailed well written honesty this is for you. It explores the dynamics between slave and owner, letting on to how intimate the human connection was between these people. The connotation of intimate being personal and complex. It somehow does this by sharing the brutal and blunt nature of slavery, utilizing the situational details to show the human characteristics of slaves. It shows that despite the brutal nature of slavery, these were acts done on humans, and the owners were fully aware of their human capacities. It makes the viewer digest the brutality of slavery along with the complexity of human emotion. It forces the reader to view all parties as humans and the disputes as real, like these things are happening modern day to the people you recognize such as neighbors. It is a heavy read that takes away the barrier of “it was a different time” and subjects the reader to really think about all parties. The close proximity tensions between the two groups is usually never looked at from these angles. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. As a history major, I appreciate how this book looks at slavery beyond the traditional plantation setting.
April 24, 2026
Reviewing advanced reader's copy from a Goodreads Giveaway
This is an immediate contender for my favorite nonfiction book I've ever read. This will be the book I recommend to anybody who wants to have an understanding of the day to day experience of people enslaved during the era of the antebellum American south.
Following 6 different court cases from Prince Edward County, Virginia from the 1820s-1861, Ely explores the texture of slavery's lived experience. A man who killed his overseer, and at one point drinking buddy, in self defense. A white woman accusing an enslaved man of rape ending in the enslaved man's acquittal. A black couple's wedding hosted by a plantation owner's daughters crashed by the local patrol. All of these cases lead to interesting dissections of how black people interacted with the institution of white supremacy they lived under and how such an institution interacts with other mechanisms of oppression impacting their lives like patriarchy and class.
Reading this book was a similar experience to watching a video essay on YouTube. The cases are broken down into chunks, interpreted, and analyzed by Ely. His writing style is very familiar, almost as if he is having a conversation with the reader. I found it very approachable, especially to anybody who might not often read nonfiction.
I strongly recommend A Terrible Intimacy to anyone who wants to better understand the nuances of slavery as a lived experience. It delves into the minutiae of exploitation present at every level of a slave based society while remaining approachable to anybody who wants to pick it up.
This is an immediate contender for my favorite nonfiction book I've ever read. This will be the book I recommend to anybody who wants to have an understanding of the day to day experience of people enslaved during the era of the antebellum American south.
Following 6 different court cases from Prince Edward County, Virginia from the 1820s-1861, Ely explores the texture of slavery's lived experience. A man who killed his overseer, and at one point drinking buddy, in self defense. A white woman accusing an enslaved man of rape ending in the enslaved man's acquittal. A black couple's wedding hosted by a plantation owner's daughters crashed by the local patrol. All of these cases lead to interesting dissections of how black people interacted with the institution of white supremacy they lived under and how such an institution interacts with other mechanisms of oppression impacting their lives like patriarchy and class.
Reading this book was a similar experience to watching a video essay on YouTube. The cases are broken down into chunks, interpreted, and analyzed by Ely. His writing style is very familiar, almost as if he is having a conversation with the reader. I found it very approachable, especially to anybody who might not often read nonfiction.
I strongly recommend A Terrible Intimacy to anyone who wants to better understand the nuances of slavery as a lived experience. It delves into the minutiae of exploitation present at every level of a slave based society while remaining approachable to anybody who wants to pick it up.
April 25, 2026
Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the digital copy of this book; I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Content warnings provided by reviewers on Storygraph:
Graphic: Gun violence, Racism, Slavery
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault
I have a tendency to fall into books that explore systemic oppression while also delving into human identity. A Terrible Intimacy is a very interesting book, made better on audio by narrators Janina Edwards and Ron Butler. They really made this book sound like a well-plotted mystery.
The book details six court cases that specifically involved White people vs. Black people and their relations with each other. There’s a slew of testimonies from neighbors, friends, enslaved and the enslavers. There’s this whole power dynamic in the courts that, as you can imagine, does not favor the Black man.
The detailed exploration of these six cases makes it clear that a lot of research was done. We need more of these types of books that reveal hidden histories. We, meaning white people, need to explore more histories like this that challenge common assumptions of the past.
The pacing was a little slow for me, but I still found the breakdown of various aspects of the case extremely interesting. Going beyond the court cases and revealing witness’ lives before, during, and after the trials was not only revealing, but rarely have I read a book that took this tack.
Content warnings provided by reviewers on Storygraph:
Graphic: Gun violence, Racism, Slavery
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault
I have a tendency to fall into books that explore systemic oppression while also delving into human identity. A Terrible Intimacy is a very interesting book, made better on audio by narrators Janina Edwards and Ron Butler. They really made this book sound like a well-plotted mystery.
The book details six court cases that specifically involved White people vs. Black people and their relations with each other. There’s a slew of testimonies from neighbors, friends, enslaved and the enslavers. There’s this whole power dynamic in the courts that, as you can imagine, does not favor the Black man.
The detailed exploration of these six cases makes it clear that a lot of research was done. We need more of these types of books that reveal hidden histories. We, meaning white people, need to explore more histories like this that challenge common assumptions of the past.
The pacing was a little slow for me, but I still found the breakdown of various aspects of the case extremely interesting. Going beyond the court cases and revealing witness’ lives before, during, and after the trials was not only revealing, but rarely have I read a book that took this tack.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Melvin Patrick Ely takes a deep dive into court records and comes up with an extraordinarily intimate study of enslaved Black individuals and free white individuals in conflicts that led to a trial. It’s not ‘history’ in a typical sense. Ely focuses on a handful of cases and individuals and he hardly ever pans out to make broad statements about how social systems worked in pre-abolition slave society. It’s more like he is introducing us to a handful of people lost to history until he resurrected them. He leads us through these court cases and allows us to draw conclusions along the way. I enjoyed it very much and feel his approach enlightened me and that he humanized his subjects in ways that a more traditional history wouldn’t have.
It wasn’t the book I expected in that from the cover and the title I was hoping to read a study about relationships between white men and the enslaved black women they owned, and the children those women bore. Was it ever more than rape? How could it have been? How could men not acknowledge their own children? and so on. With the oddness and repulsiveness of Thomas Jefferson’s relationship (exploitation?) (rape?) of Sally Hemings, and the strangeness of so many ‘founding fathers’ not understanding their hypocrisy, at the center of my historic curiosity. That’s a different book, though.
It wasn’t the book I expected in that from the cover and the title I was hoping to read a study about relationships between white men and the enslaved black women they owned, and the children those women bore. Was it ever more than rape? How could it have been? How could men not acknowledge their own children? and so on. With the oddness and repulsiveness of Thomas Jefferson’s relationship (exploitation?) (rape?) of Sally Hemings, and the strangeness of so many ‘founding fathers’ not understanding their hypocrisy, at the center of my historic curiosity. That’s a different book, though.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This book was an interesting and meaningful look back at American history through the lenses of interracial relationships. While I expected this book to be good, it still exceeded my expectations. Looking at race relations as seen in court documents from the 1800s is quite different from my normal leisure reading, but I was not disappointed!
I was really affected by the stories of the enslaved individuals in this book, and I’m so grateful to have heard what we know of their histories. As someone who studied anthropology, I find this book quite reminiscent of the ethnographies I read in undergrad. I guess this is a historiography? Or at least very similar!
I’d recommend this book to anyone interested in the history of Black/white race relations in the American south during slavery. I believe that there behaviors and phenomenons seen in this book that directly inform American race relations to this day. The treatment of Black enslaved peoples at the hands of poor whites (who took advantage of longstanding racial power imbalances) really struck me, and that division is something we are still seeing the ramifications of.
This book has a lot to say, and I’m hoping it will teach readers more about life in the Antebellum South and the nuances of race relations at the time. This book was so thoughtfully written and an exceptional read.
Thank you SO MUCH to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ALC!
I was really affected by the stories of the enslaved individuals in this book, and I’m so grateful to have heard what we know of their histories. As someone who studied anthropology, I find this book quite reminiscent of the ethnographies I read in undergrad. I guess this is a historiography? Or at least very similar!
I’d recommend this book to anyone interested in the history of Black/white race relations in the American south during slavery. I believe that there behaviors and phenomenons seen in this book that directly inform American race relations to this day. The treatment of Black enslaved peoples at the hands of poor whites (who took advantage of longstanding racial power imbalances) really struck me, and that division is something we are still seeing the ramifications of.
This book has a lot to say, and I’m hoping it will teach readers more about life in the Antebellum South and the nuances of race relations at the time. This book was so thoughtfully written and an exceptional read.
Thank you SO MUCH to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ALC!
April 20, 2026
A Terrible Intimacy is a sociological exploration of race relations in the 1800's through old court records.
The recorded statements were posited to give us an accurate depiction precisely because they were not intended to describe, condemn or condone the institution of slavery, but rather give testimony on one particular court case. Each of the cases in the book were chosen carefully to describe not only relations between the enslaved and slaveholders, but also free Black and non-slaveholding white folks. I found it fascinating and was surprised that it felt more like a riveting true crime book than a dusty history text.
The book provides many insights that I hadn't known such as:
* Slaves could be tried in the court system for accused crimes.
* They had defense attorneys which the slaveholders had to pay for.
* Town "patrols" were often citizens rather than sworn officers.
* Slaves could be heard as witnesses in a trial.
It was a little hard to track who was testifying, but the author does a great job summarizing, connecting dots and explaining potential motivation for certain statements, as well as possible relationships between those mentioned.
Janina Edwards and Ron Butler did a fantastic job narrating the audiobook.
Many thanks to Macmillan Audio, NetGalley, and author Melvin Patrick Ely for this audiobook to honestly review. It’s now available.
The recorded statements were posited to give us an accurate depiction precisely because they were not intended to describe, condemn or condone the institution of slavery, but rather give testimony on one particular court case. Each of the cases in the book were chosen carefully to describe not only relations between the enslaved and slaveholders, but also free Black and non-slaveholding white folks. I found it fascinating and was surprised that it felt more like a riveting true crime book than a dusty history text.
The book provides many insights that I hadn't known such as:
* Slaves could be tried in the court system for accused crimes.
* They had defense attorneys which the slaveholders had to pay for.
* Town "patrols" were often citizens rather than sworn officers.
* Slaves could be heard as witnesses in a trial.
It was a little hard to track who was testifying, but the author does a great job summarizing, connecting dots and explaining potential motivation for certain statements, as well as possible relationships between those mentioned.
Janina Edwards and Ron Butler did a fantastic job narrating the audiobook.
Many thanks to Macmillan Audio, NetGalley, and author Melvin Patrick Ely for this audiobook to honestly review. It’s now available.
April 21, 2026
A Terrible Intimacy is a compelling and powerful work that defies expectations. Drawing on court cases, transcripts, and historical analysis from 150–200 years ago, it could easily feel dry but instead, it vividly brings forgotten lives from Virginia’s past into focus. The book lays bare the contradictions of 19th-century American slavery, where enslaved people and enslavers often lived in close proximity, their lives deeply intertwined. It raises a haunting question that lingers throughout: how could enslavers share daily life—working, eating, celebrating, nursing through wounds and illness, and sometimes forming families—with enslaved individuals, yet still deny their full humanity? The answer remains as heartbreaking and unsettling as it is elusive.
Eminently readable, this book is for anyone who wants to better understand the history of “the Peculiar Institution,” little-known aspects of Black history, court records, and the lived realities behind slavery’s legal and social systems, or who simply wants a deeper, more humanizing look at how history is reconstructed from fragmented but powerful sources.
The audiobook narration is excellent. I appreciate the two voices, making it completely clear when something is a direct quote from court documents and when it is the historian’s analysis.
Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an advanced copy of the audiobook.
Eminently readable, this book is for anyone who wants to better understand the history of “the Peculiar Institution,” little-known aspects of Black history, court records, and the lived realities behind slavery’s legal and social systems, or who simply wants a deeper, more humanizing look at how history is reconstructed from fragmented but powerful sources.
The audiobook narration is excellent. I appreciate the two voices, making it completely clear when something is a direct quote from court documents and when it is the historian’s analysis.
Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an advanced copy of the audiobook.
April 16, 2026
A Terrible Intimacy by Melvin Patrick Ely is superior historical research. It’s rare to encounter an academic historical text being this accessible and entertaining- in as much as the topic on hand is a horror (so entertaining isn’t quite the right word here). I appreciated that we got to examine the topic over six criminal cases in Prince Edward County, VA. This allowed for direct first person narratives with extra witness testimony, as well as remarks made by the media & judge. The plotting of the book was ingenious- Prof Ely laid out the court cases from beginning to end, but didn't tell us the verdict until the end of each case. This allowed us to follow along as if we were jurors. It was fascinating to see the intricacies of who was allowed to testify, what the law mandated, and how white patriarchy always kept its thumb on everything. You’d almost wonder why they even bothered bringing any cases to trial when the verdict was almost always predetermined.
I was surprised that the author didn’t narrate but appreciate that he chose to use professional narrators. They did a wonderful job, which made the book more accessible than if the author’s narration would not have been as dynamic.
*Thanks to Macmillan Audio & NetGalley for the free copy
I was surprised that the author didn’t narrate but appreciate that he chose to use professional narrators. They did a wonderful job, which made the book more accessible than if the author’s narration would not have been as dynamic.
*Thanks to Macmillan Audio & NetGalley for the free copy
April 15, 2026
A Terrible Intimacy is a deeply compelling and thought provoking examination of slavery that challenges many commonly held assumptions. Melvin Patrick Ely offers a nuanced and carefully researched look into the lives of those who lived in close proximity within small slaveholding households, revealing a reality that is both complex and unsettling.
What makes this book stand out is its focus on personal relationships and everyday interactions. Through detailed accounts of criminal cases, the narrative uncovers the layered and often contradictory dynamics between enslaved people and enslavers relationships shaped by proximity, familiarity, and an underlying system of violence and control.
Rather than simplifying history, the book leans into its complexity, showing how recognition of shared humanity coexisted with the persistence of exploitation and cruelty. This tension gives the work a powerful emotional and intellectual impact.
An insightful and important read for anyone interested in American history, social justice, and deeper explorations of the human realities within historical systems of oppression.
What makes this book stand out is its focus on personal relationships and everyday interactions. Through detailed accounts of criminal cases, the narrative uncovers the layered and often contradictory dynamics between enslaved people and enslavers relationships shaped by proximity, familiarity, and an underlying system of violence and control.
Rather than simplifying history, the book leans into its complexity, showing how recognition of shared humanity coexisted with the persistence of exploitation and cruelty. This tension gives the work a powerful emotional and intellectual impact.
An insightful and important read for anyone interested in American history, social justice, and deeper explorations of the human realities within historical systems of oppression.
April 30, 2026
As a Black woman reading these collections of testimonies and interracial interactions, I am not surprised at the shaky foundations that these allegations are built on. What was surprising were the testimonies from white people, specifically landowners that were in defense of the Black person accused. Now it is not clear in what manner these defense were given, but we can hope that they not only stemmed from a selfish objective to not pay restitution or lose property.
Neither was I surprised at the many types of relationships that formed between Blacks and Whites in the South. It would have been almost impossible for there to have been only master and slave relations when no matter the race or place, attraction, love, hate, friendship, and families are bound to happen.
The testimonies here offer us a glimpse into these types of relationships and the consequences that can occur because them, amongst the people themselves and those on the periphery of such relationships.
The prose wasn't the most entertaining, but it was informative and I appreciate Ely questioning the reasons why certain stances would have been posited by these people and the accusations as well.
Neither was I surprised at the many types of relationships that formed between Blacks and Whites in the South. It would have been almost impossible for there to have been only master and slave relations when no matter the race or place, attraction, love, hate, friendship, and families are bound to happen.
The testimonies here offer us a glimpse into these types of relationships and the consequences that can occur because them, amongst the people themselves and those on the periphery of such relationships.
The prose wasn't the most entertaining, but it was informative and I appreciate Ely questioning the reasons why certain stances would have been posited by these people and the accusations as well.
May 2, 2026
Not THAT kind of intimacy. Melvin Patrick Ely is, instead, writing about the intimacy that comes about when people live in close proximity and interact. Obviously, slaves and their owners lived and interacted in close proximity. Their lives intersected at most points.
Ely has chosen an interesting way to document this intimacy. He examines six court cases occurring in Prince Edward County, VA, in the first half of the 19th century. We have instances of black men accused of murder and rape who aren't hunted down by a posse and summarily hanged. In fact, that trope, it turns out, is from the post-Civil War period. And it makes sense: slaves were valuable. You're not going to hang a $500 piece of property unless you're absolutely sure he's done the deed. Slaves often had excellent defense lawyers. White people testified in favor of the slaves on trial.
I have to tip my hat to Ely for the tremendous research he's done for this book. It's not my idea of fun to dig through old court documents, written in long hand, for years to get the information needed for this kind of book.
Ely has chosen an interesting way to document this intimacy. He examines six court cases occurring in Prince Edward County, VA, in the first half of the 19th century. We have instances of black men accused of murder and rape who aren't hunted down by a posse and summarily hanged. In fact, that trope, it turns out, is from the post-Civil War period. And it makes sense: slaves were valuable. You're not going to hang a $500 piece of property unless you're absolutely sure he's done the deed. Slaves often had excellent defense lawyers. White people testified in favor of the slaves on trial.
I have to tip my hat to Ely for the tremendous research he's done for this book. It's not my idea of fun to dig through old court documents, written in long hand, for years to get the information needed for this kind of book.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy of this audiobook. I gave A Terrible Intimacy a strong rating because it balances rigorous factual reporting with a sharp understanding of the psychological damage caused by racial hierarchy in each case. What stood out most to me was how carefully the book handled the material: it never sensationalized the facts, but instead let the evidence speak while still making space for the human cost behind it. That approach made the book feel both informative and deeply unsettling in the best way. I also listened to the audiobook and thought the narration was excellent. The narrator’s voice stayed measured and neutral, which was exactly right for this kind of subject matter, because it never added drama where none was needed. That restraint actually made the content hit harder, and I appreciated how clearly the audiobook conveyed the seriousness of the material without ever sounding performative.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Netgalley/Macmillan Audio and Henry Holt & Company, Arc Review.
"A Terrible Intimacy" contains the recounting of six criminal cases. Each chapter is about one of these trials. The author set out to show the closeness and cruelty between white and enslaved people in the state of Virginia through these trials. Each of the proceedings recalls the details and outcomes of each case. Using acounts from all parties involved, both black and white for the defense and prosecution. The court cases involving the enslaved people in each chapter are presented as reenactments. The author expands on the outcomes of each trial, providing additional research findings and theoretical analysis. The information in the book is provided in a very straightforward manner. I enjoyed the dual POV narration style of both Janina Edwards and Ron Butler. I would recommend this book to anyone who has interest in an alternate interpretation of some of the darkest parts of US history.
"A Terrible Intimacy" contains the recounting of six criminal cases. Each chapter is about one of these trials. The author set out to show the closeness and cruelty between white and enslaved people in the state of Virginia through these trials. Each of the proceedings recalls the details and outcomes of each case. Using acounts from all parties involved, both black and white for the defense and prosecution. The court cases involving the enslaved people in each chapter are presented as reenactments. The author expands on the outcomes of each trial, providing additional research findings and theoretical analysis. The information in the book is provided in a very straightforward manner. I enjoyed the dual POV narration style of both Janina Edwards and Ron Butler. I would recommend this book to anyone who has interest in an alternate interpretation of some of the darkest parts of US history.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
"A Terrible Intimacy" is a review of some court cases in Virginia in the 1800s where we find a much more nuanced perception of the relational dynamics of Black slaves and white people in the communities. This view is provided through court documentation and witness testimonies. We see how white people showed some level of compassion to Black slaves who were accused of crimes they were accused of. Some cases did not have known outcomes but some witnesses provided honest and, at times, compassionate views towards Black slaves in their community.
Reading this book does not let you shy away from the realities and discrimination that Black people experiences. The fact that this was less than 200 years ago and the roots of racism persist is very telling.
Received a copy of this book from #Netgalley for an unbiased review.
Reading this book does not let you shy away from the realities and discrimination that Black people experiences. The fact that this was less than 200 years ago and the roots of racism persist is very telling.
Received a copy of this book from #Netgalley for an unbiased review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
3.5 stars rounded up to 4.*
An in-depth and incredibly researched book that tells the true stories of multiple criminal circumstances that occurred between enslaved African American people and white people who share community in the slave-owning South from the late 18th century until the end of legal slavery.
Each tale is researched from multiple sources and documents how not only race but often class and community perception clearly influenced how the criminal statues were enforced.
Ely also does a good job of explaining how our current ideas and norms influence how we expect the situations would play out and how wrong that can be.
A great addition to a TBR stack for those wishing to grow their knowledge and understanding of race relations and ensuring we never go back.
*with thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for this honest review
An in-depth and incredibly researched book that tells the true stories of multiple criminal circumstances that occurred between enslaved African American people and white people who share community in the slave-owning South from the late 18th century until the end of legal slavery.
Each tale is researched from multiple sources and documents how not only race but often class and community perception clearly influenced how the criminal statues were enforced.
Ely also does a good job of explaining how our current ideas and norms influence how we expect the situations would play out and how wrong that can be.
A great addition to a TBR stack for those wishing to grow their knowledge and understanding of race relations and ensuring we never go back.
*with thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for this honest review
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
A Terrible Intimacy by Melvin Patrick Ely is a very well-researched and thought-provoking look into the South; it explores how the relationships between slave owners, plantation workers, and other enslaved individuals interacted during this time period.
This is a sensitive period of history, and the author handled it well with honesty and the research necessary to understand the terminology used during this timeframe. The storytelling was meticulous yet humane, bringing history off the page without sensationalism.
While this is a tough book to read, the rewards are worth the effort. It is ideal for readers of history, race, identity, and the tangled history of the United States. This book reminds me of how far we have come and how far we still have to go; it also highlights that there is still a significant amount of resistance.
This is a sensitive period of history, and the author handled it well with honesty and the research necessary to understand the terminology used during this timeframe. The storytelling was meticulous yet humane, bringing history off the page without sensationalism.
While this is a tough book to read, the rewards are worth the effort. It is ideal for readers of history, race, identity, and the tangled history of the United States. This book reminds me of how far we have come and how far we still have to go; it also highlights that there is still a significant amount of resistance.
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