Cane River

Rating:
Summary: Strength
Review: The women of Cane River survived because they had the spunk to keep on going in spite of all their adversity. I enjoyed this book because they did't dwell on their situation, but tried to make the best of it. Each generation passed this attitude down to the the next generation.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful
Review: Beautiful reading -! Hours and hours of good, solid, reading. You can live and feel some of the shame, the pain, the despair, the hopelessness and sorrow of that horrible period in our history. Lalita Tademy is a gem of a writer. Gimme some more just like this one.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful
Review: Beautiful reading -! Hours and hours of good, solid, enjoyable reading. Lalita Tademy is a gem of a writer. Gimme some more just like this one.

Rating:
Summary: What a delight!
Review: This is a true delight. The characters warm your soul and have a story to tell. All should read this!

Rating:
Summary: My family tree...
Review: is so boring compared to this! I liked this book a lot. I loved the descriptions of the characters, so real and easy to imagine. The women were easy to like. I do wish it was all fact or all fiction. I think the author did a diservice to her family tree by adding 'stories'.

Rating:
Summary: Entertaining and Thought Provoking
Review: While I haven't been a fan of every "Oprah Book Club" selection (I respect her, but how many "poor, sexually abused" child stories can one person read?) I continue to read many of the queen of talk show's recommendations because she has led me to some of my favorite books, and introduced to me authors, for example Wally Lamb, whom I probably wouldn't have discovered without Ms. Winfrey's encouragement. "Cane River" is another one of those "Oprah Books" I can easily recommend. It's a great read which is also great history. An intriguing "based on a true story" novel, this story details the struggle of a Southern family as they transform from slave, to Negro to Colored. (The tale ends before they hit Black or African-American.) As a non-African American, this book was a real insight for me into the racism that lives within racism. Sure, I knew that the South was hardly a bastion of political correctness, but I was basically ignorant of the social standing based on skin color that lived (and likely still exists to some extent) within the black community. It's not only a story about color, it's also a story about women's place in society. Real women, not the wealthy, privileged elite. "Cane River," written by a former female CEO of a Fortune 500 company, puts into perspective just how far we've come as a society, and how far we have yet to go. It also lends hope that, with each succeeding generation, progress is, in fact, made, even though it's sometimes hard to see until you step back and look at the big picture. And, yeah, the fact that Lalita Tademy, the great-great granddaughter (I think that's right), of a slave can become a corporate bigwig IS the big picture.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful, Strong Women
Review: A very good read. This would be a great novel. The fact that it is a real family and that these wonderful women actually lived made it that much better. I loved seeing the family pictures. It's always better when you can put a face to the names of people you hear or read about. How these women persevered in the face of so much pain, sorrow and adversity is awe inspiring. Lalita has ancestors to be proud of.

Rating:
Summary: A profoundly life-changing book
Review: We've all seen Roots, learned the schoolbook history of slavery, but this work is beautifully detailed and powerful in its description of the grinding day-to-day effects slavery had on individuals. It fleshes out the psychological injuries of slavery on individuals as well as the intricately woven interplay between the generations before and after emancipation. Lalita Tademy brings her ancestors and history to life so artfully one would not believe she was not a novelist. I am so grateful she chose to share her personal mementos and genealogy with the world. With kindness and honesty, she examines the inner motivations, yearnings and sorrows of slaves and planters, children and grandparents. This book should be required reading, and it has lasting significance in understanding modern race politics in America. Thank you so much, Ms. Tademy!

Rating:
Summary: If You Liked ROOTS, You'll Love CANE RIVER
Review: Absolutely excellent. A definite five stars. It's similar to Roots, but shows more the strength of multi-generations of women. I learned a lot about the feeling and thinking of slaves, and later of what I guess I can call the colored experience. I want to say congratulations to all the real characters in the book, and certainly congratulations to Lalita Tademy. You have truly succeeded.

Rating:
Summary: Delicious -- comparable to "Gone with the Wind."
Review: This is a totally engrossing read. The author uses beautiful phrases, esp. in her descriptions of people. I experienced a remarkable feeling each time I became emotionally invested in a character and then realized/remembered that these weren't just characters, but REAL people who actually existed! There's an amazing insight here into the simple unfairness, ugliness, and sadness that comes from people's belief in race, invented solely to separate us and to make one group feel superior to another for no decent reason. It's also a lovely and respectful story of women. This side of the master/slave relationship has barely been looked at before. (I hope those silly and hurtful stories of how Sally Hemmings the slave "loved" her master Thomas Jefferson will stop soon!) And the way the same treatment was maintained for decades, not allowing unsanctioned marriages and keeping children from inheritance -- how cruel and unfair. The photos include beautiful faces full of strength, and they have a magical quality in bringing the characters to life. There are a few loose ends not followed and a couple of confusing moments, as well as leaps in time or action. But this is a huge undertaking, and I think these can be forgiven. It's obvious that the author is writing lovingly about the people who were a part of her. She can be very proud. I'm recommending this to everyone I know.