This is a beautiful piece of literature taken from the history books. It takes you on a journey from slavery through reconstruction into the start of what would become Jim Crow. The characters are vivid and this could easily be the story of any number of African American families.

I was 13 years old when I read *Jubilee* for the first time. I found it in the library and spent a rainy Saturday devouring the story. After the last page was turned, I ran immediately to my grandmother (who was born in 1906, and therefore an expert in all things old) and asked her how any of this could possibly be true. I knew about slavery from history books, but slave masters having children with slaves! What followed was an eye-opening conversation about what our history REALLY was - and who the people of the south really were. I never forgot the experience, and I never forgot the book.

Now, I am 18 years older, and once again, on a rainy Saturday, I picked up a copy of *Jubillee* (this time from Square Books in Oxford) and read the whole book again. The story was still as powerful, and I understood so much more than I could back then. I understood the mastery of Walker's writing, the power of her story, and the incredible fairness and depth with which Walker crafted her novel. So many voices of the South speak to us . . .

The chief voice is of course Vyry's - it's her story. She is the voice of forgiveness, compassion, fairness, and spirituality that reaches to so many. She is also a voice that triumphs over the horrible suffering and injustice of the pre-Civil War South. She endures Emancipation and Reconstruction - not quite the panacea of those history books that led me astray so young - and ultimately triumphs over hate in all its forms. Her words concerning misunderstanding and reconciliation in the closing 4 chapters of the novel are some of the most powerful words in literature. She is a heroine among heroines - a beautiful example of what it means for humanity to triumph over prejudice and adversity. Alone, it would be a great tale, but the voices don't stop with Vyry alone . . .

Each of the characters speaks for a class of those who grew up in the South: the angry poor-whites (Grimes, the people who burn Vyry and Innis out of their home), the angry black men (Randall Ware, Jim to an extent), the privileged and cruel white upper class (Big Missy Salina), those among the white upper class who felt the injustice and yet were too cowardly to enact change (Marster Dutton and Miss Lillian), the freedom fighters that worked diligently to bring freedom (Brother Zeke), those who suffered before they saw the promised land (Mammy Sukey, Aunt Sally), and those who wanted to turn the labor that had been stolen for so long into proof of their worth (Innis Brown). Not only are all these voices present, but they are treated with equal sympathy and truth. Even the most evil of characters, like Grimes, is presented with compassion. Even the most heroic of characters, like Randall Ware, is portrayed with human frailties in tact. This is what makes *Jubilee* not just another slave novel, but a novel that really makes history alive.

I am a descendant of the poor white class. What *Jubilee* proved to me as a child was simple: I shared more with people of color than I thought. What it proves to me now is no less profound: Our history and our heritage are bound together by threads that we may not understand, and yet they are undeniable. Perhaps Vyry said it best: we all need each other. Only when we as a nation and a people realize that truth can true healing take place.

This book was assigned reading for my daughters college literature class. She kept her copy, I read it and wanted a copy for myself. It is excellent.

A tremendous story of one woman's determination to survive. This is a no-glory novel, with deep emotions and awe inspiring human spirit. The dignity with which Vyry lives her life is as relevant today as the time period depicted. There is more than one lesson to learn in this classic novel.

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