These plantation legends explore the emotions of slavery in magical stories suitable for everyone. This edition has versions that have been "translated" into modern English with standardized American English spelling and specific terms replacing racial slurs, except where crucial to the story. The original versions, written in dialect, are in appendixes. ( )

An underread classic. Dialect is a bit of a challenge, but worth it. ( )

The Conjure Woman and Other Tales is a collection of short stories tied together under the umbrella of a frame story in which a white northern couple has relocated to the South and has met a man on their property who they hire on as caretaker. The poor black southerner regales them with tales which they find entertaining but are actually pointing a finger directly at them. The book was first published in the late 1800's and the dialect is that of a poor southern black man and the stories themselves offer a glimpse into the rich cultural heritage of the people and the times in which they lived.

The tales presented in The Conjure Woman are entertaining and humorous on their own but the real value of this work is how the protagonist uses his tales in order to point out the flaws in the views and attitudes of the white couple and goad or guilt them into getting things done on the farm in the way that he wants them sometimes for his own benefit but usually for the benefit of everyone involved. I really did enjoy this book as both the individual stories and the ongoing tale as a whole teach the reader a lot about the views of society during that era whilst maintaining a lighter air so that the reader doesn't feel as if they are being scolded or sitting in a lecture. ( )

Loved these little short stories. All told by Uncle Julius, who manages to use the stories to get what he wants out of the rich white Northerners, one of whom suspects what he's up to, but gives in all the same. These are told in heavy dialect, the kind that makes Huck Finn and Uncle Remus look simple, so if that's going to bother you, don't pick it up. I usually don't mind that, but I admit that I found it slow going. It helped me to imagine that I heard it told out loud, like a Brer Rabbit story, but it wasn't a quick read. Still, that made it even more fun, because the stories were long enough to finish a couple at a time and then come back for more. My favorites were the first one, the story of the missing will, and the slave owner who got goophered into a slave. ( )

Charles W. Chesnutt (1858-1932) was the first African-American author to achieve commercial success, writing three novels, a book of short stories, and numerous articles for The Atlantic Monthly and other national publications. According to The Library of America, "Chesnutt laid bare the deep contradictions at the heart of American attitudes toward race and history, and in the process created the modern African-American model."

Chesnutt was born in Cleveland to two free persons of color, but spent most of his early life in North Carolina before moving back to Ohio. Although he could pass for white, as his paternal grandfather was a white slaveholder, he identified himself as a Negro throughout his life. He wrote extensively on racial issues, particularly involving persons of mixed heritage.

His first book, The Conjure Woman, published in 1899, consists of a series of "conjure" tales set in post-Civil War North Carolina. The narrator is a white midwesterner who has purchased an abandoned plantation, who hires, amongst others, Julius McAdoo, a former slave on the plantation. The new owner and his wife are quite fond of "Uncle Julius" and his stories of plantation life, and each of the six tales are told in slave narrative form. These stories collectively provide a complex portrait of the lives of slaves, slaveowners, freedmen, and poor whites in the antebellum South, and the influence of conjurers on blacks and whites during that time. ( )

On the surface, this book seems to be a series of tales that hark back to the days of plantations and slavery, all connected by The Conjure Woman, who, for a small payment, helps ease the trials and hardships of the slaves by her "goopherin." The book begins when a man, John, and his wife, Annie, move to North Carolina for Annie's health, and they meet Uncle Julius, who becomes their paid servant. Whenever John has plans for his land, he discusses his ideas with Uncle Julius, who then relates a tale about certain slaves on the plantation, generally designed to get John to change his mind. So you might think that you've got a collection of quaint stories about superstition here, but then you start picking up what lies beneath.

When you get into the stories, you start getting the underlying message -- about the harsh treatment of slave owners and their overseers toward their slaves. There are instances of slaves being physically abused, or being separated from their loved ones, especially women and babies. Considering that this was written in the late 1890s, and that the earlier "plantation fiction" glorified the slave-owning life to almost a romantic degree, Chesnutt's work probably set that whole genre on its ear. As an example, you've got Uncle Julius, an ex-slave, doing what he can to preserve his small measure of entrepreneurship by pulling one over on his white boss and his wife.

Overall, it was a fine work. Chesnutt chose to have the slaves and Uncle Julius speak using a Southern dialect, which makes for difficult reading at first until you pick up the rhythm. I would recommend it to readers who are interested in the plantation-era American South and the lives of the slaves, and those who perhaps aren't familiar with this author.

Definitely recommended, and a welcome addition to my library. ( )

2017 Read Harder - Read a classic by an author of color