Many thanks to my friends at @bookclubfavorites @scribner and @simon.audio for the #gifted copies of this book.  

 

“The first weapon I ever held was my mother’s hand.”

 

Raw.  Visceral.  Heart wrenching.  

 

I closed the pages of this book and felt the need to sit with Annis.  Ward’s portrayal here is searing and brutal.  A young, enslaved girl fighting to exist.  

At times, it felt like too much.  And yet, that is exactly what made it such an adept depiction. 

 

Throughout Annis’ harrowing journey, she turned inward where the spirit world provided what her natural world could not… a sense of connection, a sense of freedom.  

 

This juxtaposition where hope and remembrance were unconstrained amplified the barbarity of her day-to-day life.  And yet, it didn’t always work.  In some scenarios, it felt clunky and counterproductive.  

 

Though maybe, ultimately, that’s the point?  Life as a slave must have felt similarly.  Complicated.  Messy.  Hard.  

 

Ward’s poetic prose is not to be rushed.  This is a slower paced read, no doubt.  But it’s also eloquent and lyrical and striking, making this harrowing journey a richer experience for the reader.  

 

This one begs for discussion, and I’m so glad I had @book_wine_and_thinker to unpack it with.  

 

🎧 There’s a certain emotional punch found when an author narrates his/her own work.  And here, Ward embodies both the beauty and brutality within her words.  Her voice encapsulates Annis with searing honesty and authentic ownership.