Book Reviews of Slaves in the Family

Writer Edward Ball opens Slaves in the Family with an anecdote: "My father had a little joke that made light of our legacy as a family that had once owned slaves. 'There are five things we don't talk about in the Ball family,' he would say. 'Religion, sex, death, money and the Negroes.'" Ball himself seemed happy enough to avoid these touchy issues until an invitation to a family reunion in South Carolina piqued his interest in his family's extensive plantation and slave-holding past. He realized that he had a very clear idea of who his white ancestors were--their names, who their children and children's children were, even portraits and photographs--but he had only a murky vision of the black people who supported their livelihood and were such an intimate part of their daily lives; he knew neither their names nor what happened to them and their descendents after they were freed following the Civil War. So he embarked on a journey to uncover the history of the Balls and the black families with whom their lives were inextricably intertwined, as well as the less tangible resonance of slavery in both sets of families. From plantation records, interviews with descendents of both the Balls and their slaves, and travels to Africa and the American South, Ball has constructed a story of the riches and squalor, violence and insurrection--the pride and shame--that make up the history and legacy of slavery in America.

The author, a descendant of one of the largest slave-owning families, confronts his past by researching archives and connecting with the descendants of the slaves. He tells a compelling story of black and white families,who lived side by side for five generations. The author attempts (and does an excellent job!) to explain why the slave legacy is still enmeshed in this country today. Reading this book gave me a greater understanding of our American history and human nature.
48 pages of historic and current photographs.

Winner of the National Book Award, this is an absolutely fascinating non-fiction read about the search for relatives who turn out to have been slaves.

A history of one man's family who tracked down and interviewed the descendants of former family slaves across the country.

Thorough, thought-provoking and compelling story about appearance versus reality. Though I read it when it first came out I remember the honesty of the author. I kept wondering how those on both sides of the family would respond to the public knowing what happened. Would there be shame? Humiliation? Denial? Would the truth set them free? Would reconciliation come about for others beside the author? Of course, this is the pink elephant that no one wants to talk about in the south in particular.
I hope the author will one day choose to enlighten us where this journey took him in life.

Most interesting...great research by the author.

Winner of the National Book Award. Part oral history, this unique family saga is a catharsis and a searching inventory of racially divided American society.

I was unable to get into this book.

Powerful...A book that is an amazing amalgamation of history, detective work, sociology and personal catharsis. It covers not only the days of slavery, but investigates the intertwined lives of blacks and whites into the 20th century.

Interesting although overly long.

This is a true account regarding slavery- powerful and painful for all! An account which forces us to look at our history- whether your ancestors were slaves or those who took slaves.

Though I thought I would really enjoy this book, I did not. It was hard to get into. I finally just looked at the photo section and gave up on reading it. It's written by a man who traced his ancestry, to include slaves who were related and slaves of the family. I did not expect it to be as boring as it was.

so much history - a real eye opener - very informative

"BALL is a first-rate scholar-journalist . . . He's also a good detective, tracking down the many descendants of Ball slaves from New York to California and back in the South and coaxing them, often with some difficulty, to tell their stories . . . Outside Faulkner, it will be hard to find a more poignant, powerful account of a white man struggling with his and his nation's past." THE ATLANTA JOURNAL CONSTITUTION

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