Cheap Jubilee (Book) (Margaret Walker) Price

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Customer Reviews of Jubilee

Triumph
I must admit that originally I chose this book because it was the only book on the reading list that I could find at the time. While I read, I came to appreciate the book for its deeper meanings and the lingering images of slave life found in the novel. This narrative tells the true story of the black slaves before, during, and after the Civil War; and the struggles they had to overcome. This novel details the human triumph over the despairs of slavery and dispels the stereotype of the black slave. This in depth story proves the ability of the slaves to have a full range of emotions, not just hatred. For Vyry, the creation of new life offers her salvation. She is blessed with children, and when she comes to a new town she is offered a home because of her skills as a midwife. While white skin is seen as a symbol of civilization, to Vyry it is only a point of further pain under the hand of Big Missy (Salina) who sees it as her duty to put Vyry in her place. In each new home, Vyry feels a sense of renewed hope offered to her by the color of her skin and the sense of freedom that comes with being in a new place. Even when that hope is consumed by the flames of the KKK, she is able to find release by turning to God. Omens at the opening of the novel further emphasize the brutalities of the slave owners and the vagaries of nature because of the twists of fate that allow hatred and death to continue. Walker uses these vivid images to convey the triumph of the human spirit and the true glory of God through man.

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Not EXACTLY joyful... but a good read nonetheless!
I found Margaret Walker's Jubilee to be a very engrossing story about a mulatto Southern woman named Vyry and her struggles to survive before, during, and after the Civil War. I was especially impressed with Walker's descriptions of Vyry's girlhood; from the morose day when Vyry's biological mother (a Black slave) died to Vyry's first attempts at loving and being loved by someone else, Walker makes the reader feel as if he or she were right there living through all of the joy, heartache, and pain with Vyry. My only problem with Jubilee is that at times the story seemed to drag (most especially when Walker was explaining the political climate of the time) and, although I am an African American Studies major, I found myself flipping through most of the second half of the story simply because it started to bore me! I wonder if this was Walker's debut novel and hence that was the reason why it did not come off as polished as it could of been? Anyhow, I would definitely recommend this book to someone who knows little to nothing about the hardships that Blacks, mulattos, and poor Whites had to face during the Civil War. To get the emotional side of being a Black woman during this time period, however, I would advise reading Toni Morrison's "Beloved" first.

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A true classic
One word cannot describe this book. Margaret Walker captured the essence of one woman's struggle that represented so many during a period when freedom was an elusive dream. It would take a war and many deaths before African Americans became liberated, only to realize later that the chains of oppression were still evident just manifested in other ways. In JUBILEE, Vyry is born into slavery as a result of a relationship between her mother, Hetta, and the white plantation owner, "Marster Dutton." After Hetta's death, Vyry would be placed in the mansion as a servant to the owners and their children. Her mulatto coloring would elevate her above the station of a regular field hand and qualify her to work in the "Big House." While in the "Big House," Vyry would be subjected to almost daily abuse from the "Big Missy." Sometimes her only peace of mind would come from some of the older slave women who worked in the house. But when they all finally died, leaving her all alone, Vyry starts directing her own life and dreams, even daring to find love with a free black man.

Margaret Walker's JUBILEE is one of the best book written on witnessing the brutalities, triumphs and struggles of African Americans before, during and after the Civil War. In a true account from her ancestors, Walker has written a riveting tale of life as a slave. Her main character, the focal point of the book, is one that left this reader in tears from the hatred she received, but spellbound at the compassion she showed to her abusers. I was captivated by the love she showed for her husband and the stamina she possessed to keep the family and the dream alive. This novel is a fine testament to the life that our forefathers suffered in the pursuit of freedom and should be required reading for all African Americans.

Reviewed by Brenda M. Lisbon
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers