Why read They Were Her Property?

Book cover of They Were Her Property: White Women as Slave Owners in the American South

Book description

Winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize in History: a bold and searing investigation into the role of white women in the American slave economy

"Stunning."-Rebecca Onion, Slate

"Makes a vital contribution to our understanding of our past and present."-Parul Sehgal, New York Times

"Bracingly revisionist.…

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American history

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Why read it?

1 author picked They Were Her Property as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Robin Mitchell

Author

So many books about slavery and slaveholders focus on men. They either ignore white women or relegate them to passive observers in the world’s most “peculiar institution.” This book shatters that argument, detailing in often excruciating details how white women in the American South not only had a stake in enslavement but were enthusiastic participants.

From its very opening, recalling a little white girl splitting up her Black enslaved mammy’s family in a fit of anger, these stories made me seethe with rage. You will never look at the institution of slavery–and the role of white women at its center–in…

From Robin's list on The best books about women’s lives that will challenge your assumptions, infuriate you, and change your life for the better.