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lindseyzank's review
5.0
When we think about slavery, we think about wealthy white families living on plantations in elegantly decorated mansions while their slaves toil away on their land living in unsavory housing accommodations on its outskirts. Tiya Miles challenges our understanding of slavery by investigating a Cherokee Indian family, the Vanns, who owned over 100 slaves and were among the most wealthy of the Cherokee Indians. This is a part of our history that we never learn about, thus doing a disservice to the Cherokee women who were forced to endure the elitist attitudes of their husbands and the African and Afro-American slaves who were forced to endure a life in chains. The bond that connects these two minority groups is both complicated and rich. Many of these slaves adopted Cherokee traditions and values and applied for recognition as Cherokee Indians once they were freedmen and women. Miles's book traces the narrative of the Vann family by an extensive combing through of archival documents. She questions the ways in which we look at plantation homes with nostalgia and hopes for us to understand the democratic practice we should feel inspired to adopt in telling the entire narrative of a specific time and place in our history. Until recently, neither the tour nor the literature at the Chief Vann House even mentioned slaves, while the large majority of the population on the estate was comprised of slaves. Miles's text seeks to give voice to these silences. Her research is impeccable and her commitment to understanding the whole story a goal all scholars should strive to reach in their own research projects. I highly recommend this for history lovers and those who are vaguely curious; it is easy to read and not overtly bogged down with academic jargon, but is so much smarter than any history book I've read in a while.
libkatem's review
informative
fast-paced
4.5
Tiya Miles is such and incredible historian. The last paragraph gave me chills.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Violence, and Sexual violence
ogollovesbooks's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
3.5
priyastoric's review
4.0
It's been a while since I've read an historical monograph, but I am glad I read this one after hearing Miles speak at a conference. In short, Miles encapsulates the Vann house within the context of it times. providing a space where the traditional narrative of history is difficult to grasp and see. A space where the master-slave relationship was not between a white master and a black slave, but rather a region where Native American masters held land and worked it for economic gains. Here is a link to an interview I did with Miles for work: http://blog.preservationnation.org/2015/08/13/qa-tiya-miles-on-history-historical-fiction-and-structured-imagination/
rachaelgreatbooks's review
I want to come back to this book. I was reading it for a course and we abruptly stopped midbook, however it is a truly fascinating read.
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