The day is finally here for our much anticipated “Spring” meeting, hosted by Valerie to discuss Sadeqa Johnson’s novel, “Yellow Wife” - Val set up a beautiful luncheon at Blue Orchid Thia Restaurant in historic Riverside. The venue is surrounded by majestic oaks, flowers and coy ponds which afforded the opportunity for some beautiful photos.
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It was quite obvious that the Jailer loved his daughters, however would that dynamic have changed with a male heir? Would he have exemplified the same level of love for his son, SRubin had he lived? Many of us believed he would have loved Bin just as he loved (or even more) his daughters, however there would not have been the same level of love for his son, Daniel due to his lack of “birthright” and lack of status in the community.
Early in the book, we learned that Missus chose Essex to “lay” with, but the lingering curiosity of “why” was discussed? Was it a vindictive act towards her husband, Pheby or for her natural pleasures? There was a strong consensus that Missus wanted to hurt both Pheby and her husband (an eye for an eye); but in her warped mind, it is quite possible that she believed that Pheby would only select the best of the enslaved men as a mate, and she probably felt he was the best of the men in the fields and if he pleasured Pheby then surely he could pleasure her.
Pheby’s strength on the auction block when she refused to disrobe was discussed to have come from her mother, and even her biological Anglo aunt who taught her etiquette and how to read. Valerie also wanted to know our thoughts on Pheby’s decisions throughout the book. Celeste mentioned that she did not really care for Pheby’s character because she dispensed an air of privilege. Ms. Austin chimed in that we must remember that these were the enslaved and the choices they made were for survival. This statement opened pandora’s and poignant points of view came from all sides of the rooms. As I always say, the sign of a “great” book club are the debates! Let’s all remember this is a fictional (based on fact) book. Our questions may be better addressed to the author as to “Why” did she write the character this particular
Val asked why we felt Pheby was so naive and entrusted the Seamstress (who clearly had disdain for her) to deliver her letter. My viewpoint was that Pheby had a simple case of "plantation mentality" in which she trusted an "Anglo" more than her peer because she believed in their superiority. I went on to say, that type of behavior still occurs in corporate America today.
The question of "LOVE" surfaced, and it was like a bomb exploded! When Pheby loss her child shortly after birth; several members/guests mentioned that she displayed unconditional love for her children. The fact that Pheby risked her life to locate her mother's "healing" remedies to aid in curing her child were heroic. This portion of the discussion called for a pause by Val, when she asked if any of us had home remedies that we remember using as children. Almost everyone had a particular herb or remedy from an ancestor that they shared - such as Catnip Tea, Father Johns and Lydia Pinkham to name a few. Twilla even provided her mother's remedy recipe that her sons continue to use today.
There was even discussion that "The Jailer" actually loved Pheby - Can a Slave Owner, love a Slave? Is it truly love or some type of morbid possessional obsession?
Some guests felt it was overwhelming reading yet another "Slave Narrative" with consistent abuses and injustices towards the enslaved. Other readers, such as Val from Orlando, felt we need to continue reading this genre to keep our history alive. No matter how many stars each of us awarded this book, we can all say, the discussion was amazing and flowed seamlessly from topic to topic.
There were several debatable moments among members and guests, which made for an even livelier discussion. I love it when we engage in healthy debates.
Ardine Isma reached out to us regarding her father, Dr. Ardain Isma speaking at one of our meetings to promote his book, and Val graciously invited him to join our meeting. We were captivated and intrigued by his book synopsis, "Last Spring was Bittersweet", which follows the life a young man who is sent to France (from Haiti) by his parents, after impregnating his girlfriend. We were elated that Dr. Isma had books with him for us to purchase and have autographed.
Thank you, Val for this most engaging meeting with games, surprises and intellectual conversation. Our experience will be discussed for years to come.
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