Bound to the Fire by Kelly Fanto Deetz
Quick Review – 3.5 stars – This book has a unique topic, is well researched, but the academic writing style detracts and the author expresses opinion a bit more often than I would like in an academic work.
Full review – The subject of enslaved African-American cooks is not something often discussed. This little book gives some fascinating insights into their world and the world of those who enslaved them. But it seemed like I was taking a course that had the following pattern: this is what I am about to tell you, these are the details, this is what I told you. Many non-fiction books follow this pattern to good effect, but in this case, it was distracting. The book could have been the same length (160 pages including the footnotes) and have given much more information had it not been repetitive.
I did learn quite a few new things and best of all given some food for thought. The discussion of the relationship of the owners to their enslaved cooks included some fairly obvious items such as the poisoning potential but also some less obvious ones such as the way in which the cooks leveraged their own importance. The limiting factor was the scope of the book, which only included cooks in Virginia who served the very wealthiest families. It did, however, cover the entire period of slavery through the end of the Civil War with much time spent on the 18th century, as this period set the pattern for the 19th. I would like to see another book with a wider scope including more of the south and more socio-economic levels.
The technical merit of this book is excellent with no mistakes that I could spot. The research is well-documented, hence accurate. However, the author repeatedly expresses her outrage at the treatment of the enslaved people which I found unnecessary after the first time. The reader does not need to be reminded that frequently of the injustice of the situation, we all understand how reprehensible slavery was. Let the facts speak for themselves.
Overall this book is well worth the short time it takes to read it. Thanks to my friend, Carol, for giving me this hardcover book for Christmas. I will use some details in my novel. The book may be purchased in multiple formats at the following links:
Civil War Book Blog 