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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
fascinating format and beautifully written content,
By Cori Knauss (Las Vegas, NV USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Longest Memory (Paperback)
My reason for purchasing this book was that I had the author, Fred D'Aguiar, as a professor twice while I was in college. He teaches Creative Writing at the University of Miami, and is the most wonderful teacher I have ever had. My respect and admiration for him blossomed even more when I read THE LONGEST MEMORY. I have never read a book that changes point of views by chapter, but this book became one of my favorites of all time. Reading the experiences of everyone involved really brings a different perspective. I loved this book so much that I read it twice and passed it on to my mother, who especially liked the letter written to THE VIRGINIAN newspaper. Fred D'Aguiar's vivid description and emotion make this a "must-read!"
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A piece of American history brought to life,
By
This review is from: The Longest Memory (Paperback)
This book is not brilliant writing but it is brilliant in its ability to shed light on the various attitudes towards slavery in Virginia in the late 1700's and early 1800's. One hears the voices of a slave whom maintains his dignity in spite of his position, of an overseer to fathers a child with a young slave, of a plantation owner whose views lead him to act with kindness towards his slaves to his social detriment, of the owner's daughter who dreams of emancipation of slaves ... each responding to the life and death of an intelligent young slave with dreams of being a poet. The net result is a book that allows one insight into the institution of slavery - the mindset that permits a master/slave relationship; that shows the economic forces that weakened the value of slavery and helped percipitate the events leaading up to the Civil War.This is not a book that you will easily forget - rather it is one that forces one to consider the interrelationships between people - past or present.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Unforgettable !,
By Mareea (Melbourne, Australia) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Longest Memory: A Novel (Hardcover)
D'Aguiar's novel 'The Longest Memory' is both a heartwrenching emotional rollercoaster ride and significant historical account of the brutal slave system of a bygone era. D'Aguiar weaves a compelling tale told from the perspective of the drama's protagonists. Although this text is not a play, it provides the reader with vignettes that convey the deep dark secrets of slave owner, overseer, lover and slave. We are compelled through 200 years if hindsight, to see if our "predictions" are correct. D'Aguiar does not disappoint, the destruction of a runaway slave only adds to burning need for slavery during the 1700's to be abolished. If 'The Longest Memory' does not arouse the stirrings of condemnation for the destruction of humanity through acts fuelled by racism, then this novel is not for you. Indeed, as an Australian, the experience of American slavery is not far away from the destruction of our own Aboriginal people that were lulled into an idle existence, one that was forged out for them by their white Colonial rulers. It's time to wake up from the stupor of racism and ebrace one another. It is only through the memory of past mistakes that we can enjoy a trully liberating future! D'Aguiar's - The Longest Memory - ensures we will not forget.
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