This book starts with an introduction by the author basically saying: slavery was real, brutal, cruel, and almost inhuman. Sure, Europeans didn’t create slavery, but what they did with the transatlantic slave trade went beyond anything that had existed up until then. The author focuses on what was experienced in the USA, but all across the Americas, slavery was hell on earth. Whitewashing or minimizing what happened doesn’t make the truth go away and doesn’t change the reality of how this system affected society today. It has nothing to do with making people “feel guilty” (an absurd notion). Education around this subject is still extremely important.

That being said, this book doesn’t focus solely on the horrors of slavery. It shines light on the rebellions of enslaved people against their tormentors. Based on true stories (gathered from historians and accounts of people that survived and managed to get their experiences in writing), the book is basically a collection of 4 interconnected novellas filled with resilience, resistance, hope, and humanity, It shows how a single act of rebellion can spread like wildfire among those who need hope, even if the powers that be try to hide the truth.

Those acts of rebellion are often brutal and have vivid descriptions. But also accompanied by a feeling of justice and catharsis, or at the very least, vengeance.

It's a great read. However, take a look at the trigger warnings. Slavery was cruel and vicious and this author doesn’t shy away from that reality.

I don’t know how I feel about this book. It's a very interesting look into the life of a neurodivergent person who is trying to figure out her place in a very regimented world. The rules always eluded her (at school or with her family), but in the world of this Japanese convenience store, the rules are very clear and she can simply become an “Employee” instead of being a confused human woman. It was a little hard to feel for her, when she wasn’t really feeling anything for herself. But the more I think about it, the more I feel like the ending was a bit cathartic.

I don’t know. In the end, it was short and worth reading.