The Strength of These Arms: Life in the Slave Quarters

by Raymond Bial

Most slaves lived desperately hard lives, working from sunup to sundown, with few comforts.Yet despite their surroundings, they made homes of what they had.Holding fiercely to their African heritage... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0395773946
• ISBN13: 9780395773949
• Release Date: September 1997
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
• Length: 40 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 8.3" x 10.3"
• Age Range: 10 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 5 to 7

Customer Reviews

The Strength of These Arms: Life in the Slave Quarters

Iron shackles, auction blocks, and backbreaking labor portray the harsh reality that many slaves endured. Through the effective use of contrasting photographs, Raymond Bial (noted and extensive author of children's information books) captures the striking inequality that existed between slaves' and plantation owners' ways of life. Young readers will be angered when they learn that slaves ate cornmeal from gourd bowls in one-room cabins whereas plantation owners dined on lavish meals on intricate dinnerware sets in the "Big House". Commendably though, Bial doesn't portray slaves as broken, one-dimensional field hands. Supportive photographs and information-filled text convey a more complete, often unrepresented side to slavery. Readers learn slaves didn't simply passively accept their situation, but forged a sense of community despite their oppression. Bial quotes Frederick Douglas stating that slaves, "were a band of brothers...a unit". Slaves, Bial also notes, held many skilled labor positions crucial for the survival of the plantation such as blacksmiths, cooks, field designers, and carpenters. Bail's well-written, well-rounded look at slavery is appropriate as a read-aloud for the young reader. Lacking distinct chapters or headings, this book does progress logically from a history of slavery to a focused look at slave life on a plantation. An extensive list of sources lends credibility to Bial's depiction of slavery. Acknowledging oppression but moving beyond, Bial gives an honest and informational portrayal of African American slaves' perseverance and pride in spite of hardship.