All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley's Sack, a Black Family Keepsake
- Downloads：8172
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-01-06 17:21:03
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Tiya Miles
- ISBN：1984855018
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Kim H
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Hope in dark places and an inspiration in finding power when everything seems to be stacked against you。 A wonderful insight on some very deep cultural bonds in hair， treasured items， and stories。 This books also offered empowering telling of a generational fight from one mom to the next to hope for and create more for their children。
Piper D
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Beautiful but hard to read- the beginning is very academic。
Jake Gardner
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A journey into the intimacies of slavery that I'd never known before。 Using Ruth's tote as a medium， Miles take us on an equally enlightening and tragic tale of a mothers persistent love prevailing over insurmountable obstacles。 For me， no text or non-fiction book has ever painted the tales of southern slavery in the 1700's and forward like Tiya Miles。 This is a must read。 A journey into the intimacies of slavery that I'd never known before。 Using Ruth's tote as a medium， Miles take us on an equally enlightening and tragic tale of a mothers persistent love prevailing over insurmountable obstacles。 For me， no text or non-fiction book has ever painted the tales of southern slavery in the 1700's and forward like Tiya Miles。 This is a must read。 。。。more
Ann Tuma
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The history of a slave relic and living through slavery， which came from a huge amount of research。
Lisa Freeman
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Meticulously researched work of history which chronicled the lives of 3 Black women and countless others。 Painful to read， yet beautifully chronicled through a single family keepsake sack。
Nanny
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An excellent book。 A powerful history of three black family women connected by an artifact， a cloth sack that was filled by Rose an enslaved mother， carried by her daughter Ashley when she was sold away， never to see her mother again， and Ruth， Ashley's granddaughter who embroidered the story onto the sack。 Tiya Miles fills out the story by using accounts of other black women from the same time periods so as to recreate what it was like for each of the three women to live in the times that they An excellent book。 A powerful history of three black family women connected by an artifact， a cloth sack that was filled by Rose an enslaved mother， carried by her daughter Ashley when she was sold away， never to see her mother again， and Ruth， Ashley's granddaughter who embroidered the story onto the sack。 Tiya Miles fills out the story by using accounts of other black women from the same time periods so as to recreate what it was like for each of the three women to live in the times that they did。 I was reminded of Laurel Ulrich's A Midwife's Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard based on her diary， the first reconstructed history of a long dead woman from one small artifact that she left behind and male historians had dismissed as unimportant for two centuries。 Another book I couldn't put down。Ms。 Miles， a Harvard University professor， writes beautifully and clearly for the general public as the grant that she received to write the book required。 From opening the book to just now as I finished the last page both the history recreated and the writing drew me on page after page。I also truly appreciated the black and white photos and drawings to illustrate elements in the history unfolding， and the special color photo "visual essay" of works of art that the author invited artists to create in response to the story。 。。。more
Mary
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This was a fascinating and at times difficult story about how simple possessions were priceless for those enslaved people of the south。 I loved the detail with which the author documented the history and importance of each item in the sack。 This is a heart wrenching but important and well researched work。 It is hard to imagine the pain and heartbreak Ashley endured。
Sara
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I wasn't quite sure what I was selecting when I got this hold from library eZone， but I really liked it！ there was a lot of information and slavery history。 The narrator was nice to listen to and I didn't feel like facts were shoved at me which is sometimes the case with non-fiction。 I wasn't quite sure what I was selecting when I got this hold from library eZone， but I really liked it！ there was a lot of information and slavery history。 The narrator was nice to listen to and I didn't feel like facts were shoved at me which is sometimes the case with non-fiction。 。。。more
Sarah
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Incredible achievement。 While the writing feels like a history book at times， Miles weaves this story with skill， grace， and love。 I have a new appreciation for not only what unfree families lost， but also how they loved。 Miles' call to us is powerful: "[W]e hold a bag both empty and full， around which our many hands find the space for joining。" Incredible achievement。 While the writing feels like a history book at times， Miles weaves this story with skill， grace， and love。 I have a new appreciation for not only what unfree families lost， but also how they loved。 Miles' call to us is powerful: "[W]e hold a bag both empty and full， around which our many hands find the space for joining。" 。。。more
Sherry
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Wow！ Tiya Miles， has taken a serendipitous encounter with a 1840’s seed sack that Rose， an enslaved mother， packed in the 1850s for her nine year old daughter， Ashley， who was being sold away from her。 Decades later， Ashley’s own granddaughter， Ruth Middleton in 1921 embroiders the words of the matrilineal history of the bag， and its contents passed down between the three women who treasured it for the continuity， hope， determination to survive and the love it represented。 This small， fragile te Wow！ Tiya Miles， has taken a serendipitous encounter with a 1840’s seed sack that Rose， an enslaved mother， packed in the 1850s for her nine year old daughter， Ashley， who was being sold away from her。 Decades later， Ashley’s own granddaughter， Ruth Middleton in 1921 embroiders the words of the matrilineal history of the bag， and its contents passed down between the three women who treasured it for the continuity， hope， determination to survive and the love it represented。 This small， fragile textile artifact is unique and triggered Tiya Miles’ amazing multi-faceted research project that became “All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley’s Sack， a Black Family Keepsake。”“My great grandmother Rosemother of Ashley gave her this sack whenshe was sold at age 9 in South Carolinait held a tattered dress 3 handfuls ofpecans a braid of Roses hair。 Told herIt be filled with my Love alwaysshe never saw her againAshley is my grandmother Ruth Middleton1921”This is a densely written， impeccably researched work that was extensively broadened by scholars and experts in fields that opened doors into other contacts， approaches， considerations。 This an amazing exploration of the “story cloth （that） captures the emotional texture of Black women’s lives during and after slavery and reveals the staying power of love across time— past， present， and unfolding。” Brava。Well deserved National Book Award for Non-Fiction， 2021。 。。。more
Erin
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Reads like a very detailed academic paper。 Impressive research and synthesizing of numerous sources taking the objects in Ashley's sack and discussing each in depth including， but not limited to， hair， dress， women's roles， sewing and embroidery， food， and traditions。 Humanized Ashley， her mother， Rose， and her Ashley's granddaughter， Ruth， but their story （because it is largely unknown） was overshadowed by the research on the things and practices surrounding them。 Audiobook Reads like a very detailed academic paper。 Impressive research and synthesizing of numerous sources taking the objects in Ashley's sack and discussing each in depth including， but not limited to， hair， dress， women's roles， sewing and embroidery， food， and traditions。 Humanized Ashley， her mother， Rose， and her Ashley's granddaughter， Ruth， but their story （because it is largely unknown） was overshadowed by the research on the things and practices surrounding them。 Audiobook 。。。more
Megan
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I know this is a well-written book and a well-told story within the framework as selected。 Unfortunately， the audiobook was not the right experience for me or possibly the right time for me to get into this particular book。
Anne Boardman
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This book contained a lot of fascinating info and I am glad I read it but I wish it had a more storytelling type narrative。
Glauber Ribeiro
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 In one level， it's disappointing that the people who owned the sack remained and will probably remain unknown。 Once that sinks in， the book becomes an essential history of enslavement and the dystopic reality that it created in the USA。 Our great national sin and the direct source of many of our national tragedies。 In one level， it's disappointing that the people who owned the sack remained and will probably remain unknown。 Once that sinks in， the book becomes an essential history of enslavement and the dystopic reality that it created in the USA。 Our great national sin and the direct source of many of our national tragedies。 。。。more
Martha Meyer
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This book was so moving， so well crafted and about so much more than one artifact at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture。 It is about black women as keepers of culture， about the history of South Carolina as an extension of Barbados' slave state， about how food and fabric comfort and support us， about how much easier it is to remember a story when there is a physical artifact to focus and remind you。 TIya Miles is a brilliant "docent" of American life in the pas This book was so moving， so well crafted and about so much more than one artifact at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture。 It is about black women as keepers of culture， about the history of South Carolina as an extension of Barbados' slave state， about how food and fabric comfort and support us， about how much easier it is to remember a story when there is a physical artifact to focus and remind you。 TIya Miles is a brilliant "docent" of American life in the past while also holding up a lantern to our future。 May we all be able to draw on the strength of Rose and Ashley， Ruth -- and Tiya to light our way。 I read this aloud to my husband and found it was the most precious time that affected his work as a playwright and mine as a librarian。 Don't miss this one。 。。。more
Leila Mustafa
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This is a gentle， thread through the needle， journey that goes so much deeper than what Ashley's Sack contained - spiritually and physically。 Tiya Miles research and thoughtfulness on each chapter is truly remarkable， covers so much ground， and she has the ability to really get into layered aspects of each item in the sack， and each leg of the journey when it comes to forced separation。 All that being said - I found this book quite dense， and at times felt like I was reading an empath's textbook This is a gentle， thread through the needle， journey that goes so much deeper than what Ashley's Sack contained - spiritually and physically。 Tiya Miles research and thoughtfulness on each chapter is truly remarkable， covers so much ground， and she has the ability to really get into layered aspects of each item in the sack， and each leg of the journey when it comes to forced separation。 All that being said - I found this book quite dense， and at times felt like I was reading an empath's textbook。 I fear that I lost or was unable to absorb the gravity of some of the information because every chapter is so thick with facts and very thin connections Miles is making。 3。5 stars - great for a school assignment。 。。。more
Susie Smith
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Very informative。 The author's research was very evident， but I felt a bit like I was reading a term paper。 She gave a wealth of information on slavery and its history， slave renaming， clothing， pecans， embroidery， and fabrics。 I thought it would have more of the human element。 I am glad I finished it， but would probably never recommend。 Very informative。 The author's research was very evident， but I felt a bit like I was reading a term paper。 She gave a wealth of information on slavery and its history， slave renaming， clothing， pecans， embroidery， and fabrics。 I thought it would have more of the human element。 I am glad I finished it， but would probably never recommend。 。。。more
Cheri Rice
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I could not finish this book。 It was too tedious and repetitious。 I liked the premise， but felt this could have been a short story with just as much impact。
Judith
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I have stopped listening to this book as I felt like I was listening to a text book。 It was not what I expected。 I am impressed that a whole story could be created around a sack that was passed down through multiple generations and survived。 Miles writing is definitely beautiful and descriptive but I have enjoyed other historical fiction that was built around characters that interact and are developed while telling their stories。 I also think I am just over reading about the abuse of blacks duri I have stopped listening to this book as I felt like I was listening to a text book。 It was not what I expected。 I am impressed that a whole story could be created around a sack that was passed down through multiple generations and survived。 Miles writing is definitely beautiful and descriptive but I have enjoyed other historical fiction that was built around characters that interact and are developed while telling their stories。 I also think I am just over reading about the abuse of blacks during slavery。 。。。more
Michele
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I needed a 4。5 for this just because it is a scholarly research text but she does a great job of making it very readable。 History is written by the powerful so choosing to research and write about the empty places hinted at by the small trail of crumbs left by the powerless and disposed is courageous and so important。 The story Ms Miles recreates of these women's life's through one object and her extensive research is educational and up lifting。 Facing unimaginable lose and hardship they survive I needed a 4。5 for this just because it is a scholarly research text but she does a great job of making it very readable。 History is written by the powerful so choosing to research and write about the empty places hinted at by the small trail of crumbs left by the powerless and disposed is courageous and so important。 The story Ms Miles recreates of these women's life's through one object and her extensive research is educational and up lifting。 Facing unimaginable lose and hardship they survived。 。。。more
Patti Howe
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I was completely blown away by the poetic， elegiac writing， however， this is not really a novel as we know it。 It's more a historical analysis of the horrors and subjugation of enslaved women in the South during Reconstruction and Jim Crow。 A story is told here in a beautiful way about one particular keepsake that is passed down from three generations。 Historically， enslaved Black women used crafts （handmade clothing， linen sacks， quilts， jewelry made from hair， and much more） as keepsakes so th I was completely blown away by the poetic， elegiac writing， however， this is not really a novel as we know it。 It's more a historical analysis of the horrors and subjugation of enslaved women in the South during Reconstruction and Jim Crow。 A story is told here in a beautiful way about one particular keepsake that is passed down from three generations。 Historically， enslaved Black women used crafts （handmade clothing， linen sacks， quilts， jewelry made from hair， and much more） as keepsakes so that -- their children who were taken away -- would have a heartfelt remembrance of their mothers。 What's more， there's so much sad and horrific history revealed which I was not aware of， I guess， because this kind of vast exploration was not covered in my own reading or even in school。 I learned so much from this author's research！ And the writing I will never forget。。。so outstanding！ However， I will say that I felt it was repetitive in many areas & found myself skipping ahead。 There seemed to be several points that were explained more than once and so frustration took hold & I stopped reading half-way through。 。。。more
Beth
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A completely accessible historical non-fiction book。 Ashley's bag draws in the reader， but goes far beyond the history of the bag。 A great read for history buffs！ A completely accessible historical non-fiction book。 Ashley's bag draws in the reader， but goes far beyond the history of the bag。 A great read for history buffs！ 。。。more
Dina Samimi
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Very unique take on a little known microhistory。 The story is seemingly small but Miles weaves in a lot of contextual history that makes this very rich and moving。 My biggest criticism is that this read repetitive at times。
Julia Warren
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Tragedy beautifully toldThank you Tiya Miles for bringing this sack to life and sharing your thoughtful analysis on the power of people to love in the face of utter and unimaginable despair。
Lizzy
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This book is wonderfully researched and definitely an interesting topic。 I feel like I learned quite a bit， too。 But It is so research heavy and for me that definitely takes away from rose， Ashley and Ruth’s stories and made it difficult to read。 I think it just wasn’t what I was expecting it to be。
Msimone
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Tiya Miles constructs a story about the life experiences of an enslaved black mother and her descendants from the remnants of an embroidered sack in the Smithsonian。 The embroidery on the sack commemorate a mother's struggle to preserve family love and history of black resilience when spouses， siblings， and children of slaves were frequently separated through sale or bondage to different owners。 Miles' research through plantation archives in South Carolina builds probable evidence of the existen Tiya Miles constructs a story about the life experiences of an enslaved black mother and her descendants from the remnants of an embroidered sack in the Smithsonian。 The embroidery on the sack commemorate a mother's struggle to preserve family love and history of black resilience when spouses， siblings， and children of slaves were frequently separated through sale or bondage to different owners。 Miles' research through plantation archives in South Carolina builds probable evidence of the existence of Rose Middleton， and the likely sale of her daughter Ashley who received the sack with a braid of her mother's hair， handful of pecans， and a tattered dress， and of her granddaughter， Ruth who commemorates the event through her embroidery in 1911。 The story of the sack is symbolic of a larger oneAfrican Americans living through black slavery in America， the Civil War， Jim Crow， and the Great Migration North。 In particular， the author vividly describes the socio-economic conditions of black women during these times through parallels of other black women whose lives ran contemporary to the Middleton women。 The author provides this information through meticulous historical， literary， and anthropological research cited in her footnotes and bibliography。 。。。more
Cait
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I hate giving this 3 stars because it's an important story that merits discussion， analysis， and remembrance。 But oh boy does this author need to leave the ivory tower-- and I say that as a fellow academic。 About 75% of the words are filler or reiteration。 The （hi）story is compelling enough on its own， and I wish the author had left it some room to breathe。 I hate giving this 3 stars because it's an important story that merits discussion， analysis， and remembrance。 But oh boy does this author need to leave the ivory tower-- and I say that as a fellow academic。 About 75% of the words are filler or reiteration。 The （hi）story is compelling enough on its own， and I wish the author had left it some room to breathe。 。。。more
Jen
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Amazing and moving。
Mary Louise Sanchez
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Tears filled my eyes knowing the power of a slave mother's love in the simple gifts she gave her daughter who was sold。 These artifacts are powerful reminders to all of us。 Tears filled my eyes knowing the power of a slave mother's love in the simple gifts she gave her daughter who was sold。 These artifacts are powerful reminders to all of us。 。。。more
Anne
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