This personal diary of 12 years of slavery of the author was an excellent read for me. Raised in the South I grew up with a “mixed” perspective of slavery. My mother was a Yankee. My father experienced first hand discrimination of black and red men. He was a high ranking officer during the integration of the military in 1947-48. I observed many signs of discrimination while growing up. But never knew many of the intimate details described in this book. It should be required reading at the high school level.

Slavery ended 164 years ago. The Civil War was fought to ensure it truly was abolished. The last vestiges of social prejudice were overcome in the 1960s, in what’s called the Civil Rights movement. It’s curious why, with so many victories behind us, and the black population so upwardly mobile today, anyone wants to resurrect the dead past.