Uncle Tom's Cabin Review

My son has shelves of books that he has read or was assigned to read in school. Many of the titles I am acquainted with as I had to read them when I was a student; others I've never heard of. One day while packing some of his things away I decided to catch up with reading some of the classic books I've missed reading along the way. Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe is one of those books. I chose to read it first because of the author. Harriet Beecher Stowe was born in Litchfield, Connecticut, moved to Ohio where she married and later moved back to Connecticut. I've even been in her Hartford home, yet never read any of her books. I felt I owed her that.

My perception of slavery:

I was born near the Cape in Massachusetts. My husband and I lived in Connecticut for over a decade and with that experience gained a "New England" perspective. Some of my friends owned old homes that still have secret rooms that were used as part of the underground railway. Now, in Upstate, NY I have had similar experiences. I can honestly say I can identify with the abolitionist.

On the other hand, I was born to a southern woman. Not only is she southern- her ancestry goes back to the early 1600s in the southern states. Family journals on several lines tell of a loving bond between white and black; bond and free. Nothing in those journals speak of the evils of cruel men. As a little girl I remember well the trips back to Grandma's that included the mandatory visits to old Liza and Joe.  Hugs and kisses all around told my young heart that there was something special about these two. They were family. My childish eyes saw that their skin color was different but it didn't matter because my mother loved them. So did I. The schools I attended did not address anything else that would have given me pause to think any differently.

Coming from these two perspectives, I was not prepared for the subject matter of the book. In hindsight, I really was not sure what I expected to find except a tale of slavery in the old south. That I got. I also got an "up close and personal" view of slavery from several slaves lives. Some experiences I could identify with because it paralleled my experience. Others I could not begin to fathom. I was touched by the humanity of the book and of the caring of a few who refused to let any man enslave their soul. I was surprised at the few slaves who had truly been converted to the Lord and had accepted Christianity and lived up to those principles- even at the peril of their own lives.

The book was also a tale of greed, of conscience and reflection by those who owned slaves as well as those who did not. It is a tale of Quakers who defied the law to liberate man- regardless of their skin color. It is a tale of families, of relationships and even the heartache of death.

This book was much more than slavery in the south.  It is a book of any kind of dominance over another. It is also a look into the hearts of simple, true believers. It strenghtened my faith and gave me reason to look into my own heart.

Bottomline:

The book is well worth the read, however, I was turned off by pages of the author's personal opinion and would rather she had stuck to the story. I realize she was trying to make a point. I think she did- several in fact.