Type Away Cait

The 30-page book contains a speech given by William Lynch, a white slave owner, in 1712 on the James River in Virginia. "keep the body and take the mind" - Willie Lynch This is Lynch's recommendation and method for breaking down black men and women and making them into slaves. He compares the breaking down of human to a horse. His racist view of them is that in their "natural state," they are "wild" and "uncivilized" (14-15). There was a separate method in psychologically breaking down women compared to men, but in both cases fear was the slaveholders' main weapon. Though a short read, it is absolutely disturbing. People say that when art — in this case, literature — makes you feel something or draws emotion to you, you know it's worth your time. My stomach turned with every page. It was absolutely disturbing to read the mindset of a slave owner, actually so disturbing that I had to read it in two sittings. It's not that it was a ...

"Big Black: Stand At Attica" is a graphic novel memoir about the historical 1971 Attica prison uprising told from the perspective of Frank Smith also known as "Big Black." *SLIGHT SPOILERS AHEAD if you're unfamiliar with the historical context of this event The prisoners wanted one simple thing: to be treated as human beings. From dropping hot shell casings on one's skin, to one roll of toilet paper per month, to poor medical treatment, the prisoners had enough, so they drafted a manifesto. When that didn't work, they took matters into their own hands.  Written by Frank "Big Black" Smith and Jared Reinmuth, and illustrated by Améziane, what I was especially interested in and looking forward to prior to the completion of this book —not to mention the fantastic illustrations— was observing the idea of reversal of power. It took a moment, a faulty lock that broke the wall separating the oppressed from those in charge. When the rebel...