Book Review: The Known World by Edward P. Jones

The Known World

 Author: Edward P. Jones

Publisher: HaperCollins Publishers

Publication Date: May 25, 2004

Pages: 432 (Trade Paperback Edition)

(Note: This review was previously published in the LamLight, the physician newsletter of The Lynchburg Academy of Medicine in Lynchburg, Virginia) 

     In an 1856 letter to his wife, Robert E. Lee called slavery “a moral and political evil”[1].  Slavery as an institution has existed as long as civilization, and Europeans began taking Africans from their homeland for use as servants as early as the 14^th century.  French and Spanish explorers brought their slaves with them on various New World expeditions and the first Africans were brought to Virginia aboard a Dutch ship in 1619[2].  One of the more curious aspects about slavery in the South is the ownership of African slaves by freed blacks.  In his book “Black Confederates and Afro-Yankees in Civil War Virginia”[3], Ervin L. Jordan Jr. writes that, as the American Civil War approached: "Free Afro-Virginians were a nascent black middle class under siege, but several acquired property before and during the war. Approximately 169 free blacks owned 145,976 acres in the counties of Amelia, Amherst, Isle of Wight, Nansemond, Prince William and Surry, averaging 870 acres each.”  Many, it seems, also owned other Afro-Virginians.  The Known World by Edward P. Jones superbly explores this circumstance.

     First, this is an exquisitely crafted story, earning Mr. Jones the 2004 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Critics Circle Award.  Jonathon Yardley, the Washington Post book critic, called this “the best new work of American fiction to cross my desk in years.”  The Atlanta Journal-Constitution states that “It belongs on the shelf with other classics of slavery like Toni Morrison’s Beloved and William Styron’s Confessions of Nat Turner.”  This book really is that good.  It is compulsively readable, captivating and thought provoking.  The format reminded me somewhat of Charles Frazier’s Cold Mountain.  That is, the book is divided into relatively long chapters, each of which can stand alone like a long short story or novella.  Each chapter moves the overall story along, however.

     This is the story of Henry Townsend.  Henry is born into slavery on a plantation in fictional Manchester County, Virginia.  He is trained as a cobbler and soon is renowned for his expertise.  It is noted that even people from Lynchburg considered Henry to be among the best boot makers in Virginia.  There are other references to our area as well, which is another appeal of the book.   Henry is allowed to keep some of the proceeds from his work and saves enough to purchase his own freedom.  Henry eventually purchases land and, finally, slaves.  His land becomes very productive and his “legacy,” as he calls it, grows.  The cast of other main characters includes Henry’s wife Caldonia, his former owner William Robbins, the local sheriff James Skiffington and his Pennsylvania-born wife, Skiffington’s deputies or slave patrollers, Henry’s overseer Moses and a multitude of other unforgettable slaves.  There are “stories within the story” that are wonderful.  One of the most memorable occurs early in the book.  James Skiffington is to be married to Winifred Patterson, born in Pennsylvania and schooled at The Philadelphia School for Girls.  Her discomfort with the institution of slavery is magnified when North Carolina relatives of her husband-to-be give her a young female slave as a wedding present.  Another story involves a slave cook in Arlington baking ground glass into the deserts for her masters.  The plot turns when Henry unexpectedly dies of a fever and Caldonia must carry on the affairs of the farm which become increasingly problematic.   Some of the slaves escape and there is growing competition and unrest among those remaining on the Townsend farm.  The book ends in the post-Civil War era with a reunion of sorts of ex-slaves from the Townsend plantation in Washington, D.C.  There is some resolution of the pre-war tensions and some satisfaction in the success of these survivors.    

     The magic in The Known World, however, is in the author’s ability to the convey emotions and perceptions of his characters.   The gut-wrenching despair of being a human owned by another human is certainly conveyed here, but not as the dominant theme.  The confusion and anxiety felt by the slaves as well as the owners in this “blacks owning blacks” scenario is also a major undercurrent.  There is certainly a sense of loss portrayed here as well, in terms of lost potential contributions by these servants forced into manual labor and menial tasks. The over-riding sentiment here is that the warped and morally abominable practice of slavery created a hugely dysfunctional society that affected whites as well as blacks and owners as well as slaves.  The ramifications of that dysfunction are still being felt today, almost one hundred and fifty years later. This is a fascinating work of historical fiction which sheds light on to the culture and life in Virginia in the 1850s as well as offering a unique insight into the practice of slavery.

 

---

[1] Grooms, Robert M., “Black Slave Owners”, the Barnes Review, 1997.

[2] Wahl, Jenny B., “Slavery in the United States”, EH.Net Encyclopedia, 2005.

[3] Jordan, Ervin L., Jr., “Black Confederates and Afro-Yankees in Civil War Virginia”, University of Virginia Press, Charlottesville, VA, 1995.

Movie Review: Lincoln

"Lincoln"

Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis

Directed by Steven Spielberg

Distributed by Touchstone Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Dreamworks Pictures,

Participant Median and Relliance Entertainment

Theatrical Relase Date: November 9, 2012

     At the risk of sounding un-American or racist, this movie is a snoozefest.  It's a bit like looking at a 150 year old broadcast of C-SPAN.  

     The plot concerns the passage of the 13th Amendment.  That's it.  Lincoln is a recently re-elected second term President, mired in an unpopular war and fighting a partisan fight to pass the constitutional amendment which would guarantee the abolition of slavery.  The same political gridlock and Congressional shenanigans plaguing 21st Century Washington D.C. are at play here.

     Daniel Day-Lewis is absolutely incredible in his portrayal of Abraham Lincoln.  After a while, though, the masterful performance becomes lost in the story which moves at glacial speed.  Some of the other casting is a bit suspect.  This particularly applies to Sally Field as Mary Todd Lincoln who plays this role like the 19 the century version of Forest Gump's mother.   

    It was fun to see many familiar sights from the Richmond and Petersburg, Virginia areas where the movie was filmed.  The Virginia State Capitol is transformed into the U.S. Capitol and the old Petersburg train station is featured in several early scenes.

     This movie is about a very important historical achievement by probably our most effective and revered President.  It probably won't rate as one of Hollywood or Spielberg's greatest accomplishments because of the pacing and long tedious scenes dominated by dialogue and political rhetoric.  If you go, I'd suggest a stop at Starbuck's for a double Cafe Americano first.

Three 'Burgs

A Blog of Three ‘Burgs

Gettysburg, PA

     The past three weekends we have enjoyed time in three different but delightful towns: Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, Williamsburg and Lynchburg, Virginia.  I guess the last one shouldn’t really count since we live in Lynchburg, but we have spent such little time here lately that it seems like we are just visiting!

     We traveled to Gettysburg to attend a wedding.  The parents of the groom are great friends and the groom and our son have been best friends since second grade.  It had been a while since we last visited Gettysburg and it hasn’t changed much, which is a good thing.  This, of course, was the site of the pivotal battle in The American Civil War.  We arrived on Friday and checked into our hotel, tried to find a Starbuck’s (there aren’t any in Gettysburg) and had an absolutely awful latte served rudely by a disinterested barista at a coffee shop in the Outlet Mall.  We stayed at a Marriott Courtyard which was well kept and clean, had free wireless internet and was conveniently located.   We ate at the Appalachian Brewing Company which is located in a building which was used by General Lee as the Confederate headquarters during the battle.  We enjoyed some vegetarian Thai rolls and split a very good veggie pizza.  We also tried the local brew which was spectacular.  After dinner we drove over to the battlefield.  This particular battlefield is remarkably well preserved and seems like it hasn’t changed since the Civil War.  The view of the sunset from Little Round Top was beautiful.

   

Sunset from Little Round Top

                                                                                     

 Marker for Col. Patrick Henry "Paddy" O'Rourke, 

killed on Little Round Top at the Battle of Gettysburg.  It is local

  folklore that if you rub his nose you

     will have good luck!

     The next morning we went to the new Visitor’s Center, watched the movie produced by the History Channel and narrated by Morgan Freeman and viewed the diorama, a 369 painting depicting the battle.  We then drove through the area occupied by the Confederates, found some re-enactors and viewed the infamous field where Pickett’s charge occurred.  There are monuments everywhere on the battlefield which were placed shortly after the war’s end.  The Pennsylvania Monument on the Union side and the Virginia Monument on the Confederate side are the most impressive.

A portion of the Diorama of
The Battle of Gettysburg

 

Virginia Monument

                                                               

Re-enactors

                                                                                                               
                                                                                                 








      We then attended the wedding at St. Francis Xavier Roman Catholic Church.  This church was founded in the 1830s and served as a field hospital for both sides during and after the battle.  The Sisters of Mercy did their best to nurse the most severely injured soldiers which is memorialized by a striking stained glass window on the front right of the church.

Cupola of St. Francis Xavier Roman Catholic Church
 Gettysburg, PA

     Gettysburg is a great place to visit, filled with history and respect for the fierce fighting which occurred there and the bravery displayed by both armies.  The community has done a superb job of preserving the battlefield.   Gettysburg has some of the usual tourist type attractions but lacks a lot of the more usual amenities (such as Starbuck’s).  You can still get a great breakfast at Perkin’s,  enjoy a meal at a historic restaurant and view a world famous battlefield which has not been polluted by urban sprawl. 

Williamsburg, VA

Governor's Palace from the Duke of Gloucester Street, Colonial Williamsburg, VA

       We never pass up an opportunity to visit Williamsburg.  We spent part of our honeymoon there almost 35 years ago and have returned often.  Our third son spent his four college years at The College of William and Mary and is now attending law school there as well.  He is very involved at Williamsburg Presbyterian Church and was ringing bells with the college bell choir on Sunday, April 29.  We were also celebrating two birthdays as well.  We made a quick trip on Saturday afternoon and stayed at a Quality Inn which is OK for the price.  The location is great, there is free wireless internet and a free breakfast in the morning.  Colonial Williamsburg is beautiful any time of the year, but particularly so in the Spring.  The gardens are meticulously maintained and, because of Williamsburg’s more coastal location, are ahead of Lynchburg in terms of what’s blooming.  We walked the length of the Duke of Gloucester street under an overcast sky because of the weather were able to wander the gardens which were basically empty.  We had a fantastic dinner at Christiana Campbell’s Tavern (seafood is their specialty and the flounder and scallops special did not disappoint) and then headed back to the hotel.  The next morning we attended the early service at Williamsburg Presbyterian and thoroughly enjoyed the performance of the bell choir.  We then drove on home to Lynchburg.

Artichokes!

Christiana Campbell's Tavern
Colonial Williamsburg, VA

Sanctuary, Williamsburg Presbyterian Church

Lynchburg

     This weekend we finally stayed home.  Lynchburg has been our home since 1992.  The town began as a convenient crossing point over the James River.  It has served as a transportation hub, both as part of the canal system to Richmond and later for the railroad.  Tobacco was stored and then sold and transported from here.  There was a significant hospital here during the Civil War and we are located only twenty or so miles from the surrender grounds at Appomattox.  Attractions nearby include Poplar Forest, the recently restored summer home designed and built by Thomas Jefferson and the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford.

   
     We started our weekend downtown at the First Fridays art exhibit.  There are several galleries downtown which have food and live music on the first Friday of each month year round.  There is a trolley which will take you free of charge on a circuit which includes the downtown galleries and the Lynchburg Art Club on Rivermont Avenue.  We first went to the Academy of Fine Arts where a one artist show was on display and then went to the Riverviews Artspace on the riverfront.  After viewing some interesting fabric art we ate dinner at one our favorite restaurants, The Bull Branch.  It is somewhat tucked away on a side street and has a funky non-Lynchburg type of feel to it.  The menu changes frequently and features locally grown organic vegetables.  The skies cleared and we were able to enjoy the “Super Moon” on full display!

     Saturday morning we got up and went to our Community Market.  There was a slight drizzle which kept the crowds down.  There was the usual great selection of fresh vegetables and plants.  Saturday night we saw “The Hunger Games” (book and movie review to follow soon) after $3 burritos at Moe’s “Cinco de Moe’s” celebration.  Sunday has been a day of catching up, blog writing and cooking (vegetable lasagna from Saturday’s haul at the Community Market). 

Three weekends: Three ‘Burgs.  Love it.

Riverviews Artspace
Lynchburg, Virginia

Gallery, Riverviews Artspace

Langley Fountain from inside Riverviews Artspace

Bull Branch Restaurant, Lynchburg, VA

Entrance to Bull Branch Restaurant

Interior, Bull Branch Restaurant

Lynchburg Community Market

Fresh produce!

... and plants!

"Super Moon" over Lynchburg, VA
May 5, 2012

                

Book Review: The Widow of the South by Robert Hicks

The Widow of the South

By Robert Hicks

Reviewed by Tom Carrico

(Blogger Note: This review was previously published in LAMLight, the physician newsletter of the Lynchburg Academy of Medicine and was referenced in a previous blog post book review of Devil's Dream by Madison Smartt Bell.)

      Just when you think there could be no more untold stories of the American Civil War, along comes a gem of a book: Robert Hicks’ The Widow of the South.  This book is set in Franklin, Tennessee, the sight of a brutal battle five months before Lee’s surrender at Appomattox.  The Battle of Franklin has been described by some as the bloodiest five hours of the Civil War.  Confederate General John Bell Hood decides to attack well entrenched Unions troops led by Major General John Schofield in an attempt to recapture Nashville.  Over the protests of other officers, including Major General Nathan Bedford Forrest, General Hood orders an ill-advised open field uphill infantry charge reminiscent of Pickett’s Charge at Gettysburg.  This leaves thousands of dead soldiers and many more severely wounded.  The battle descriptions are very vivid and well told. (Indeed they are the equal of Charles Frazier’s descriptions of the Battle of the Crater in “Cold Mountain”.)  This novel is much more than a war story, however.  It is the narrative of war’s effects on the country, the soldiers and the citizens who are swept up in its enormity.

      

     The main character of the book is Carrie McGavock.  She is the mistress of a failing plantation known as Carnton (interestingly enough, from the Gaelic for “place of the dead”).  We meet her pre-battle as she suffers from severe melancholy, having never emotionally recovered from the premature death of three of her children from various fevers.  Her husband John is a dysfunctional gentleman farmer who has never adapted to the “changes” brought on by the War and cannot deal with Carrie’s depression.  He has invested heavily in “the Cause” and suffers financial defeat and loss of his lifestyle and livelihood. 

     The mansion at Carnton is commandeered as a Confederate field hospital by General Forrest and Carrie springs to life in her new role.  The hundreds of wounded and dying soldiers who arrive on her doorstep following the Battle of Franklin enable her to find a purpose for her life beyond grieving her losses.  One particular soldier catcher her eye.  He is Sergeant Zachariah Cashwell from Arkansas.  He somehow survives the charge up the hill as a color bearer, only to be taken prisoner and then shot while trying to escape.  He has a potentially mortal thigh wound but is saved when Carrie triages him to the front of the surgery line and a high leg amputation is performed.  Zachariah is initially resentful of his survival and Carrie’s role in it, preferring death over life as a crippled amputee.  Their relationship grows from one of anger and distrust to one of mutual respect and admiration and finally, love.  This continues until Zachariah is well enough to be taken away from Carnton as a prisoner of war. 

     The rest of the book relates the story of Franklin after the War.  The town is repaired, train lines are extended, freed slaves become small business owners and farms are reclaimed, however there lingers much despair and bitterness over personal losses suffered during the War.  One citizen who owns the land which was the Franklin battlefield decides to plow over the field, disrespecting the final resting place of thousands of Confederate soldiers.  Carrie fights a verbal and political battle over this decision.  Finally, Carrie and John and a corps of volunteers exhume all of the bodies and re-bury them in the Carnton garden adjacent to the graves of the dead McGavock children.  Carrie catalogues the identity and location of each body.   She then dedicates the remainder of her long life to the maintenance of this cemetery and communication with each of the families involved, hence, obtaining the title of “The Widow of the South”.   The inevitable late-life reunion with Zachariah Cashwell is poignant and brings this novel to a satisfying conclusion.

     This book is made even more remarkable by the secondary characters who are wonderful in their own rights.  These include Mattie, Carrie’s slave (a childhood “gift” from her father) and Mattie's son Theopolis.  Mattie is the “heart” of Carnton, organizing and basically running the household for the inept McGavocks.  The dilemma of the freed slaves is played out by these characters who have never known another life.  Mattie decides to stay at Carnton with Carrie following the War and receives criticism from other former slaves including her own son.  Theopolis opts to move to town and becomes a very successful cobbler. 

     This is a novel of war for sure, but it is much more.  It is a story of grief and despair, hope and faith and discovery of life’s purpose.  Trying times forge character and cement relationships which last a lifetime. 

     This is a work of fiction, but the characters of Carrie and John McGavock as well as  Mattie and Theopolis are real.  Carnton exists and survives today with its adjacent cemetery thanks to the work of a non-profit organization.  The author is a Board member of this organization and his passion for and dedication to this project shines through on every page.  This is a startlingly good story which is incredibly well told.

Book Review: Devil's Dream by Madison Smartt Bell

(Blogger Note: This review was published in the October, 2011 issue of LAMLight, the newsletter of the Lynchburg Academy of Medicine)

  This is a fascinating historical novel depicting the life of Nathan Bedford Forrest.  As a Virginian all of my life, the American Civil War has always been an interest.  I guess it can be forgiven if as a child growing up during the Civil War Centennial I thought the majority of the war was fought in Virginia, with the occasional foray into Maryland and Pennsylvania.  Spending eighteen years in Richmond reinforced that notion.  Driving past the statues of Stonewall Jackson, Robert E. Lee and Jeb Stuart every morning on Monument Avenue makes one think that all of the major personalities fought or died in Virginia.  It has been almost astonishing to me to learn that the “War of Northern Aggression” was fought fiercely all over the South and that there were major players elsewhere that deserve historical mention alongside Lee, Stuart, Longstreet and Jackson. 

   Madison Smartt Bell is a native of Tennessee (I wonder if he thinks the whole war was fought in his state?) and received his M.A. from Hollins College.  He now lives in Baltimore and teaches at Goucher College.  He is known for meticulously researched historical fiction and his eighth novel,   All Soul’s Rising, was a finalist for the National Book Award in the 1990s. 

   Nathan Bedford Forrest is an intriguing figure.  He came from modest means and made a fortune before the war with land investment and as a slave trader.  He enlisted in the Confederate army as a private and rose to the rank of Lieutenant General by war’s end. He had no military training but devised aggressive cavalry techniques and maneuvers.  He often argued with his better trained superiors over tactics.  The most famous disagreement was with General John Bell Hood preceding the Battle of Franklin, Tennessee, ground covered very well in The Widow of the South by Robert Hicks.

  The author does an outstanding job of capturing the contradictions in Forrest’s life.  He shows him courting his high society wife and treating her with great respect while abusing his female slaves.  Forrest showed great admiration for many blacks, including several as his closest advisers during the war and yet could sell and beat these same fellow humans seemingly without remorse.  He is alleged to have allowed a massacre of black Union soldiers at the Battle of Fort Pillow rather than take them prisoner, although this novel makes it seem as if the massacre was beyond Forrest’s control. 

   The author uses a second main character, a free black named Henri who encounters Forrest at the beginning of the war, to tell much of the story.  Henri is a Haitian who came to New Orleans with the intention of igniting a slave revolt.  Henri serves Forrest as a scout and soldier until he is killed at the Battle of Chickamauga.  Through Henri’s eyes we see Forrest go berserk in the heat of battle:  charging into enemy lines with a double edged sword in one hand and a six shooter in the other.  He often had multiple horses (often as many as three or four) shot out from under him during these reckless charges.  We see Forrest shot, stabbed, beaten and starved.  In one memorable scene, Forrest is confronted by another general who Forrest has accused of cowardice.  The second general pulls a gun and shoots Forrest at point blank range.  Henri sees Forrest fall, assumes he’s dead and then watches in amazement as Forrest jumps up and runs after his would-be assassin yelling “Nobody kills Nathan Forrest and deserves to live!”

   The secondary characters are important and abundant in this novel as well.  Nathan’s wife Mary Ann is attracted to her husband’s audacity and brashness but is equally embarrassed by his occupation as a slave trader and by his not so subtle indiscretions with his slave mistresses.  Mary Ann’s mother lives with the couple for some time and acts as an over-bearing and outspoken conscience.  She repeatedly stirs up ill feelings within the extended Forrest family.  Forrest’s many brothers play significant roles, both at home in Memphis and as battlefield advisors.

    I have only two criticisms of this book.  The first criticism is the chronology (or lack thereof) with which it is written.  It’s like the author wrote the story in proper sequence but then cut and pasted the individual chapters in a random order.  A chapter describing intense fighting in Franklin, Tennessee is likely to be followed by a chapter describing Forrest first meeting Mary Anne and her mother while rescuing them from a wagon trapped in a creek bed.  I tried to decipher the reason the author did this, but I couldn’t figure it out.  It becomes very confusing when the battle sequences are presented out of date order.  The second criticism is that the author does not include or even mention Forrest’s post-war life.  The fact that he survived is unbelievable.  How Forrest rallied against carpetbaggers  became the first Grand Dragon of the Ku Klux Klan would certainly (in my opinion) have added a lot to this character’s life story.  But, this is not a biography and the author had to stop somewhere, so maybe this isn’t a valid criticism. 

  Devil’s Dream is a superbly written historical novel with a fascinating and enigmatic main character.  History and Civil War buffs should really enjoy this book.