Sadeqa Johnson

Historical Fiction in its prime. Written from a perspective not often covered it is the story of a young mulatto girl named Pheby who has secretly fallen in love with a stable hand named Essex. The story unfolds in Virginia in 1850 on a plantation owned by Jacob Bell who is married to a young woman known simply as Miss Delphine. Jacob Bell is very fond of Pheby, who is 17, and has promised her her freedom and formal education in a northern school upon her 18th birthday. However, on one of his trips he dies and Miss Delphine, who is extremely jealous and even hates Pheby, sells her to a notorious slave trader named Rubin “The Jailer” Lapier at a location that has become known as The Devil’s Half Acre.

While in his possession, she has to make certain heart wrenching, life changing, humiliating choices to survive and becomes more to Rubin than just a house servant. Giving him numerous children over the years in exchange for comfort and safety.

Meanwhile, Essex runs away and enjoys a period of brief freedom before being recaptured and sent to the Jailer fro punishment. He has a reputation for being especially vicious and even sadistic in his punishments all of which are intended to set an example.

Much of this story was loosely inspired by true historical events. The main character, Pheby, was loosely based on a real person named Mary Lumpkin, who had her first child in captivity at the age of thirteen. Essex was very loosely - very loosely - based on the real Anthony Burns, although their treatment after being recaptured differed dramatically. The author actually uses the names of three real slave traders: Silas Omohundro, Hector Davis, and David Pulliam, although these characters had no influence on the plot.

This was a wholly engrossing, heartbreaking stunner with an ending I did not see coming but probably should have, and left me with many unanswered questions. The biggest of which was, “Pheby, what is to become of you?!

If you like historical fiction and want to read about slave life from a slightly different angle, you will like this book.… (more)

This is my first novel read by Sadeqa Johnson, and it is a well written, heart wrenching story that gripped me from the very beginning and all the way to the last word.

As I read the story of Pheby Brown and learned that this fictional account of real historical events, people and places was the inspiration for Sadeqa Johnson really scored points with me. As Pheby came to terms with her fate and making her life better she made Masre Rubin promise to never sell her son away from her and to not take a wife as long as she resided at his jail, his allegiance is to her. Pheby pledged her loyalty to the Jailer, because her girls seemed destined to live a decent life. I thank the author for refraining from using explicit sexual content, as the subject matter is already a harsh reminder of the situation.

The dressing of fancy girls became Pheby’s duty of the Jailer’s chattel business, as it grew each day, the task of mending things, such as blankets, socks, old shirts and she stitched together clothes for the field hands out of burlap. But, this was her survival instinct to protect her and her baby’s safety. As Richmond was second to New Orleans in the slave trade, Richmond had several jails, holding pens, and auction houses within a few block radius.

The resourcefulness of Pheby creating medicines such as salve with mutton suet and dandelion roots. and teas that she learned from her mother was legendary. I appreciated that the author referred to Master Rubin Lapier as the “Jailer” as to not amplify his persona as a worthy human being. Her children and she belonged to Rubin Lapier. They were his property. He could do with them as he pleased. Including their daughters, and especially her son. I cheered for Pheby Delores Brown to remain the heroine in this book.

This was a hard and painful read, sometimes resulting in me feeling defeated and having to put the book down, but drawn to the story at the same time. A page turner to find the fate of Pheby Delores Brown… (more)

It's important to learn history and hear the stories so we don't repeat them. This is the story of two young women, reaching for their dreams.

Ruby is just 16. She's been raised by her grandma who is now losing her sight and has moved in with her aunt. Living with her mom just wasn't going to work. She'd love nothing more than to get further in this college prep class, get to college and become a doctor so she can fix people's eyes (so no one has to lose their sight like her grandma is!)

Then we have Eleanor, just arriving to college and realizing the world is very different once she's arrived. She's learning the social differences as well as the financial differences. She's working 2 jobs to pay for college but living with a richer socialite roommate who loves to party.

Both of these girls are right on the cusp of their life when each of them get pregnant. That one moment, that positive test, sends them both rocking and their worlds off-kilter. Each girl has to grapple with adoption, abortion and all the other emotions that come up around an unplanned pregnancy while still trying to hold on to their dreams for their future. The added racism and classism just adds an additional piece to the well-layered story.… (more)