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alexisgarcia's review against another edition
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
2.0
as many people have expressed in the reviews, quite a chunk of this book was pure speculation and made way too many assumptions about what Judge felt, thought, etc. the writing also wasn’t the most compelling. before reading i assumed that a lot more evidence existed about Judges life and the circumstances of her escape, but there really isn’t much to write a whole book off of.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Child death, Sexual violence, Slavery, Abandonment, Racism, Grief, Death, Violence, and Rape
senquezada29's review against another edition
3.0
Fascinating true story about Ona Judge Staines and her escape from bondage as one of 1st Lady Martha Washington's slaves. The story is incredibly interesting and she is an excellent main character but the story seems to have left me wanting more. I feel like it could have been an even better recount of her life. I also realize it's probably due to the lack of reliable information that was available about her. Aside from that it's definitely a recommended read.
foxtayle's review against another edition
4.0
An insightful look into the life of a woman long forgotten to history. Erica Dunbar does some really fantastic work telling the story of a woman who deserves to be heard.
pacifickat's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.5
A remarkable story, overlapping in time with that of Frederick Douglas and other brave men and women who insisted their humanity demanded dignity and freedom from enslavement following shortly after the Revolutionary War. We are very lucky indeed to know some of the details of her life, and even have a few recorded first-hand interviews from shortly before she died. The books contains quite a bit about the Washingtons as well, which I found fascinating because I did not know Martha was the heir of no less than 5 plantations and hundreds of slaves before her marriage to George, who also had his own inherited plantation and slaves in Virginia.
It is painful to hear of a time when a human could be given as a wedding present, inherited as part of generational wealth, auctioned off to settle debts or punish disobedience, sexually assaulted or coerced by an owner (with resulting children adding to the property wealth of their owners), violently punished, or heartlessly sold to plantations in the Caribbean where a terrible life and early death were nearly guaranteed. The casual nature of these actions and transactions is hearbreaking and morally bankrupt. This is a history every American should know.
We also ought to remember and celebrate the bravery and perseverance of Ona and others like her because their lives are an indelible piece of our national history. Their humanity cries out to our own, across the pages of history and span of centuries, indomitable and courageous in the face of suffering and abuse by those in power during their lifespans.
Ona, by all the measures of her day (race, gender, education, marital status, poverty, enslaved status, etc.), would have been considered a nobody. In fact, less than that even, because she was legally defined as property. Yet her legacy lives on so long as we remember and carry the wealth of her story forward, a great inheritance for all to come after her. She exercised agency in a time when she was told she had none, when her country did not count life and liberty as her inalienable right, and 'freedom and justice for all' did not apply to her or people sharing her heritage
"When asked if she is not sorry she left Washington, as she has labored so much harder since than before, her reply is, "No, I am free. And I have, I trust, been made a child of God by the means." (6:21:00)
[*by this she is referring to the importance of her personal faith, which she only found once she fled bondage to the Washingtons - her freedom being the necessary precondition for discovering and exercising her faith]
"It was her faith in God that carried Ona Staines through the most difficult times in her life. In her later years, Staines reminisced about her sojourn to Christianity and literacy, two silos that she encountered once she fled North. Staines recounted that 'she never received the least mental or moral instruction of any kind' while she remained in the Washington family. [...] Stains linked her newly-found literacy to her religious practice, telling another interviewer that her ability to read the Bible and participate in religious events mader her 'wise unto salvation.' [Her interviewer wrote], 'She never heard Washington pray, and does not believe he was accustomed to.' " (6:17:00)
"On February 25th, 1848, [...] Ona Maria Staines was carried away, not by slave catchers, but by her God." (6:21:00)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Stalking, Bullying, Child death, Physical abuse, Racism, and Slavery
Moderate: Kidnapping, Rape, and Sexual assault
Institutionalized racismbookwoman1967's review against another edition
4.0
Very readable and thought provoking. As a historian myself I applaud the author's bringing to light a hidden story and her adroit but clear juggling of fact and speculation. Most important is the spotlight on the flawed humanity of our founding fathers; while they did do great things they also had huge imperfections. A quick and fascinating read.
drwoodm73's review against another edition
4.0
A bittersweet story. I definitely opens one’s eyes to what George and Martha Washington were all about. it definitely has me rethinking my reverence for them. We need these stories to remind us of what we could never allow to happen again. An easy yet poignant read.