Far More Terrible for Women: Personal Accounts of Women in Slavery

by Patrick Minges (Editor)

De massa call me and tell me, "Woman, I’s pay big money for you, and I’s done dat 'cause I wants you to raise me chillum. I’s put you to live with Rufus for dat purpose. Now, if you doesn’t want whippin’ at de stake, you do what I wants." I thinks ‘bout Massa buyin’ me off de block and savin’ me from bein’ separated from my folks, and ‘bout bein’ whipped at de stake. Dere it am. What am I to do?

So asks Rose Williams of Bell County, Texas, whose long-ago forced cohabitation remains as bitter at age 90 as when she was “just a ingnoramus chile” of 16. In all her years after freedom, she never had any desire to marry. Firsthand accounts of female slaves are few. The best-known narratives of slavery are those of Frederick Douglass and other men. Even the photos most people have seen are of male slaves chained and beaten. What we know of the lives of female slaves comes mainly from the fiction of authors like Toni Morrison and movies like Gone With the Wind. Far More Terrible for Women seeks to broaden the discussion by presenting 27 narratives of female ex-slaves. Editor Patrick Minges combed the WPA interviews of the 1930s for those of women, selecting a range of stories that give a taste of the unique challenges, complexities, and cruelties that were the lot of females under the “peculiar institution.”

Patrick Minges worked for 17 years for Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. He teaches in Stokes County Schools and at Forsyth Technical Community College in Winston-Salem. He is also the author of Slavery in the Cherokee The Keetowah Society and the Defining of a People, 1855-1867 and Black Indian Slave Narratives.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, American History, Race, African American, Feminism, Historical

216 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2006

Reviews

[Laura McGee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings on this book. It certainly held my interest and, first person narratives are always interesting. This book was a project of the WPA, and interviewers went around speaking to former slaves. Here is what I found most problematic- most of the interviewers were white, in fact one interviewed the former slave of her own grandfather- they had known each other their whole lives- and I didn’t feel that I could fully trust those narratives. Because of the power dynamics and very recent history at the time, I have a hard time believing that the people being interviewed felt they could be completely honest.
That said, I learned quite a bit from this book about old customs and legends, there was a section just on recipes that was pretty interesting.
And of course there were stories that made my stomach turn. Not an easy read, and like I said, not without problems, but there is still plenty to be said for first person accounts of history.

[Gbergen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was motivated to read this after a visit to The Old Slave Mart Museum in Charlston. As much of what we know about the history of slavery in the US is about the male slave experience, the author researched the WPA interviews of former slaves to provide accounts of former female slaves. The females experienced unique horrors which are described in the transcripts of the interviews included in this book. To better understand slavery this book is a must read.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the 1930s the WPA collected narratives from former slaves who were all now elderly before their stories were lost forever. In this collection, 27 women shared stories of their past, bringing to light the horrors of slavery. Divided into subjects, each section opened with an essay from Patrick Minges who gave some commentary or explanation about the interviews. Due to who was doing the interviewing, the stories can't all be taken at face value, as some of the interviewers were white and the women might have felt they couldn't tell the entire truth. Never the less, the atrocities (which included sexual abuse) that the women and their families lived through was evident.

This was a fascinating and sobering read. I became aware of the book after a visit to the Magnolia Plantation in Charleston (I read a few other reviews of this book that mentioned Charleston too) that had a book shelf in their gift shop that included this book and a few others I aim to read in the future.

[Dee Dee G]

That was tough and hard to read on an emotional level.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

First person recounts of slave experiences of females from various Southern states in the USA. These narratives were collected in the 1930s as part of the Federal Writers' Project of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and assembled and microfilmed in 1941. Female accounts are very rare, therefore, particularly insightful. Sometimes hard to read due to cruelty they experienced.

[Tamara Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book presents firsthand accounts from female slaves as well as the interview from decedents of slave owners. The book is divided into five parts: jezebel and mammy, friends and family, withes/doctors, mother/child and herstory.

Since the interviews are shown verbatim, some of the words are hard to understand at times and of course the n word is used throughout since this was how blacks were referred to at that time. The stories told are sad and heart breaking at times yet inspiring and hopeful depending on the experience of the slave.

I can not recommend this book enough due to the rareness of the subject matter as well as the honesty that is conveyed through each interview. The women who share their stories are strong, resilient and inspiring for surviving the worst time in history yet hoping for a future free from slavery.

[Tomekia Farmer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this book would be an interesting read since I was curious about what black women endured during slavery. I was not at all prepared for the vernacular, as it was told from the former slaves point of view, and in their own words. This made the book hard to follow for me, and made it difficult for me to get into, which is why it took me so long to finish it. Some of the stories were interesting, but having to decipher some of them gave me a headache. I appreciate what they were going for here, but the execution....not so much. Next time I will look at the reviews for a book on this subject before I commit to purchasing and reading it.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author studied WPA interviews with 27 women who had been born into slavery to learn about their experiences. By the 1930's when the interviews took place, the women were very old. Some had nostalgia, but each of them had experienced no control over their lives, including forced pregnancies, during that time. Unfortunately, years had dimmed and softened their memories.

[Leandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

It wasn't bad. If you have issues reading text that isn't as refined this may not be the text for you. If you don't like language that's classified as racist, why are you reading a book with narratives from slaves in it?

I would've liked it better if it was more than just several different accounts thrown together. There wasn't much that can actually be credited to the author. The author notes that the source used for the different accounts has the potential of being heavily edited because of the nature of the interviews. So overall, worth reading if you'd like the closest we've really got to direct narratives and experiences. Barring of course other books written firsthand in the time period.

[Nicole Levite · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good stories, but

The stories were good and well organized into groups on specific topics. The author made a good explanation in the beginning about how the stories were taken and how the interviewers we're not always well trained and sometimes had an agenda. However the narrative in between the stories was excessive and in some places told the stories twice once in the author's words and then again in the person's own words.

[Angie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am disappointed with this book. There are definitely good tales and stories and first-hand accounts of what it was like for women (and it was far more terrible). However, I didn't like the way the book was categorized or the summation before every section of interviews. I expected more stories of how awful women were treated, the truth to be corroborated by various stories. 😔

[Karen Cunningham · Rating 3 out of 5]

The stories these former slaves told were heart wrenching. An unbelievably terrible time in human history. I was thankful to see some humanity existed too when it was easier to turn the other way

I was disappointed with the recipe filler parts and thought it could have been left out.

[Lois · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harrowing but well done.
This is primarily using slave narratives taken by the fwp.

[Maureen Grigsby · Rating 4 out of 5]

First person stories of female slavery collected in the early 1030’s through the WPA. Horrifying.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read

Absolutely brilliant to hear women bold even to speak the truth of slavery and not the myth of us being "happy well fed slaves".

[Naomi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an amazing and sad book. These women's stories really bring slavery to reality, more than what you'd read in a history book. Should be required reading.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sad reality to our history, but vital to not relive it in any way by loss of freedom for any person whether it be by sex, color, culture, religion, or thoughts.

[Sandra Oldfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good selection of female enslaved interviews mainly from the WPA project in the 193o's

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book but parts were hard to read. People really need to read at least one book like this so they have a better understanding of the enslaved.

[Rosemary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I chose this book as a research resource for my own writing, which usually deals with 19th century history in the American South and with misogyny and racism. In giving readers a glimpse of the heartbreaking and horrifying misery suffered by women in slavery, editor Patrick Minges shines a floodlight on the arrogance, greed, cruelty, and hypocrisy of those who bought, sold, and abused other human beings.

Throughout history men have often cast women in one of two roles--the virtuous lady or the harlot (variations include dutiful daughter/wife/mother versus slut/shrew/witch). As Minges points out, white male slaveholders applied this same casting system to black women in slavery, labeling them "Mammys" (fit for domestic work) or "Jezebels" (who were used in other ways).

[Shawn Vande Kieft · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not what I expected

I have always been intrigued by slavery times. The horror of what colored people faced at the hands of whites is astounding. I thought this book would lead more into what it was like as a woman in slavery, but it was mostly recollections of what most people already know of slavery.

[Tammy Durm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Narratives from women slaves. Repetitive in some places and told in the women’s vernacular, which occasionally I had to re-read to catch. History needs to include the point of view of women, particularly slave women. This book is one of the few that tells the stories directly from those women so it is of great value.

[Skburge · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up at the Historical Society Center in Charleston (They have a nice bookstore). The title drew me in. This book is a collection of former slaves' stories of slavery. These interviews were collected in the 1930s as a WPA project. Remarkable collection of historical documents.

[Peacegal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imagine what it would be like to live in bondage as a slave. This remarkable book collects interviews with women who survived this ugly period in American history. There are so many questions left unanswered, but what was collected at least gives us a glimpse.

[Rosalind Norrell-nance · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slavery's Effect on African American women

The book gave excellent incite into what slavery was like for blacks and whites. It also showed how slave e generation advantage of the lack of education and misguided religious practices and beliefs had on the lives of slaves

[pegi johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book.

A very good read for women. It's important for us to know our history away from men. Very interesting book.

[Anna Stiglbauer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Morbidly fascinating.

[Steve Webster · Rating 4 out of 5]

This provides interview notes from the 1930s of former slave women. It was enlightening and provides a closer look at how slavery personally felt and shaped those who were in it.

[Jessica Jewett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing, horrifying, illuminating, and even inspirational. Everybody needs to read it in order to understand not just minority women in America but the true history of America itself.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting stories.