The Devil's Half Acre: The Untold Story of How One Woman Liberated the South's Most Notorious Slave Jail
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- Create Date：2022-04-15 11:21:47
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Kristen Green
- ISBN：1668610094
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Annette Jordan
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The Devil's Half Acre by Kristen Green takes the story of Mary Lumpkin ， a formerly enslaved woman who survived and eventually transformed the slave jail of her former owner into a school which later became Virginia Union University ， and uses it to illustrate what life was like for those enslaved in the United States before and during the American Civil War， and in its aftermath。 The book is much broader in scope than I expected from the description and while Mary Lumpkin's story is the central The Devil's Half Acre by Kristen Green takes the story of Mary Lumpkin ， a formerly enslaved woman who survived and eventually transformed the slave jail of her former owner into a school which later became Virginia Union University ， and uses it to illustrate what life was like for those enslaved in the United States before and during the American Civil War， and in its aftermath。 The book is much broader in scope than I expected from the description and while Mary Lumpkin's story is the central narrative thread that runs through the book， there is a lot of more general social commentary about the time。 I was a little perturbed by the repeated use of phrases like "perhaps she felt" ， while I understand that accurate historical sources are limited， I would have preferred to have a more concise account based on fact rather than supposition。 As might be expected given the subject matter， this is not easy reading ， there are many disturbing descriptions of the appalling treatment the enslaved endured。 This is a well researched history book but those who are expecting a more narrative driven biography style book may be a little disappointed。 I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher， all opinions are my own。 。。。more
Janilyn Kocher
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Green provides more of a social commentary about the history of slavery around Richmond， Virginia than focusing solely on the life of Mary Lumpkin， which makes for a very misleading title。。 What she includes about Lumpkin is quite interesting。 She envelops it in broad historical sweeps that are distracting， it felt like she was trying to add in every major historical event from colonial times to present。 She makes numerous suppositions that are nebulous and vague。 I learned more by reading The Y Green provides more of a social commentary about the history of slavery around Richmond， Virginia than focusing solely on the life of Mary Lumpkin， which makes for a very misleading title。。 What she includes about Lumpkin is quite interesting。 She envelops it in broad historical sweeps that are distracting， it felt like she was trying to add in every major historical event from colonial times to present。 She makes numerous suppositions that are nebulous and vague。 I learned more by reading The Yellow Wife。Thanks to Seal Press and NetGalley for the early read。 。。。more
Sara
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This book brilliantly demonstrates how much of Black history we scarcely know about。 “White men have historically told the stories。 As the record keepers， they determined whose stories would endure the test of time and whose would vanish。” This story was not only about Mary Lumpkin， but also the hardships that Black enslaved women， like Mary， had to face for the duration of their lives。 The resilience that Mary inhabited was demonstrated beautifully throughout this story。 Green’s extensive resea This book brilliantly demonstrates how much of Black history we scarcely know about。 “White men have historically told the stories。 As the record keepers， they determined whose stories would endure the test of time and whose would vanish。” This story was not only about Mary Lumpkin， but also the hardships that Black enslaved women， like Mary， had to face for the duration of their lives。 The resilience that Mary inhabited was demonstrated beautifully throughout this story。 Green’s extensive research included a numerous amount of retellings about other enslaved men and women and their abusers。 One of those short retellings happened to be about Sally Hemings， an enslaved woman who was Thomas Jefferson’s “concubine” at the age of 16。 “The legacy of America’s beloved third president did not include his enslaved children and their enslaved mother， an omission that suspended Americans in a false understanding of their nations history。” These retellings go on to further exemplify the abuse that Black enslaved women had to endure throughout history that continue to go unacknowledged nor talked about today。 Though Green had to fill in some gaps with Mary’s story， The Devils Half Acre does justice recounting Mary’s life as well as recounting the unfair， cruel treatment done upon those just like her。 Very grateful to receive a copy of this book as part of a Goodreads giveaway！ 。。。more
Mariah
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This is a harsh book to read about a hard topic。 As the author states at the beginning of the book， they are not going to sugarcoat anything about the time period or the people they are writing about。 There are quite a few parts of this book that are hard to read and I had to break it into chunks sometimes， just so I could absorb what the author was writing。 Even if you think you know about slavery and that era from school or other places， this book really lays bare aspects of slavery that are n This is a harsh book to read about a hard topic。 As the author states at the beginning of the book， they are not going to sugarcoat anything about the time period or the people they are writing about。 There are quite a few parts of this book that are hard to read and I had to break it into chunks sometimes， just so I could absorb what the author was writing。 Even if you think you know about slavery and that era from school or other places， this book really lays bare aspects of slavery that are not talked about enough and what it was like for those enslaved people。 There is frank writing throughout the book about the choices that those who were enslaved made and what they went through that might have factored into those choices。 Those who were enslaved had to often make really hard decisions about how they lived and interacted with not only their fellow enslaved people， but also with those who enslaved them and anyone who was not enslaved。 There is really too much in this book to distill it down into one review， but all I can say is that this book is hard and it does not shy away from the history it discusses and it leaves you needing to learn more no matter how hard。 A highly-recommended read， but be prepared for some tough reading。 。。。more
Katherine
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Ms Green has carefully researched and patched together the story of Mary Lumpkin as best possible given the scarcity of records on enslaved women。 She sheds light on the injustices practiced against enslaved families and enslaved women in particular by enslavers。 The history of slave trade is laid bare with all its sordid detail。 Several figures of speech and terms are explained in the context in which they came to be。 An excellent read that particularly bores into the finer details of slave tra Ms Green has carefully researched and patched together the story of Mary Lumpkin as best possible given the scarcity of records on enslaved women。 She sheds light on the injustices practiced against enslaved families and enslaved women in particular by enslavers。 The history of slave trade is laid bare with all its sordid detail。 Several figures of speech and terms are explained in the context in which they came to be。 An excellent read that particularly bores into the finer details of slave trade mostly in Virginia （where Ms Lumpkin herself was enslaved）。 We follow her up north and encounter several other contemporaries who， like herself， contributed to pivotal moments in US history。 More people should hear the story of the founder of Virginia Union。 A great addition to any library's history collection。 Ms Green's engaging narrative style makes this a hard book to put down。 。。。more
Brian
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This is a very good book。 Definitely worth a read， amazing story of courage and resolve。 I highly recommend it。 What a great read！ Can I make a general remark on something I've noticed with almost every Goodreads email suggestions？ There is a very distinct lack of diversity of authors。 The vast majority of writers being promoted are women。 It's great to see as I love women writers with a different perspective on many things， but it needs to be more balanced than it is。 It's beginning to look lik This is a very good book。 Definitely worth a read， amazing story of courage and resolve。 I highly recommend it。 What a great read！ Can I make a general remark on something I've noticed with almost every Goodreads email suggestions？ There is a very distinct lack of diversity of authors。 The vast majority of writers being promoted are women。 It's great to see as I love women writers with a different perspective on many things， but it needs to be more balanced than it is。 It's beginning to look like it's biased against male writers and I've noticed that many new releases by male writers are ignored。 Let's have some equality。 IOf 60 books listed， at least 42 of them are women writers。 It's been like this for quite some time。 This is gender bias too。 。。。more
Courtney Maum
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This is a sensitively written exploration of the systems and people who enslaved other humans and their efforts to keep the institution of slavery in place， told through the lifetime of one enslaved woman， Mary Lumpkin。 Written in a readable and accessible manner， Kristin Green handles challenging material with grace and compassion， while also wielding impressive chops as a researcher and storyteller。 Fans of Patrick Radden Keefe will be greatly satisfied by the important book， an excellent pair This is a sensitively written exploration of the systems and people who enslaved other humans and their efforts to keep the institution of slavery in place， told through the lifetime of one enslaved woman， Mary Lumpkin。 Written in a readable and accessible manner， Kristin Green handles challenging material with grace and compassion， while also wielding impressive chops as a researcher and storyteller。 Fans of Patrick Radden Keefe will be greatly satisfied by the important book， an excellent pairing to Dr。 Rebecca Hall’s recently released “Wake: The secret history of women-led slave revolts。” 。。。more
Books。and。Salt
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I feel AWFUL giving this book two stars， because it's honestly well written and clearly a TON of research went into this book。 I appreciate the amount of thought and care that went into the language used and descriptions given。 There was a lot of interesting information included - it just was either uncertain or not about the title character。My issue is that there was so much speculation in this book。 I understand that there isn't much information on her out there， but I would have preferred "an I feel AWFUL giving this book two stars， because it's honestly well written and clearly a TON of research went into this book。 I appreciate the amount of thought and care that went into the language used and descriptions given。 There was a lot of interesting information included - it just was either uncertain or not about the title character。My issue is that there was so much speculation in this book。 I understand that there isn't much information on her out there， but I would have preferred "and we don't know what happened" over "well maybe she did this， but she probably did this。" It's not factual information when it's just speculation。Also there was so many random quotes from other journals of enslaved people or records， that had nothing to do with this woman's story。 I think if this book was marketed as telling the stories of female slaves in a certain time period， it would have been wonderful。 But saying this is the story of a single specific woman， who very little information of was found， is inaccurate。Many thanks to SealPress for providing me with a copy in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Jana Eisenstein
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Wow。 This book was a fascinating， if at times difficult， read - not because of the style， but because on the content。 Author Kristen Green brings to light the overlooked achievements of a young enslaved girl， Mary Lumpkin， who， when free， founded a school to help educate other freed slaves。 The book is well-researched and though some of Mary Lumpkin's story is educated speculation on the part of the author， Kristen Green refers to historical records， court cases， and letters when possible。 As sh Wow。 This book was a fascinating， if at times difficult， read - not because of the style， but because on the content。 Author Kristen Green brings to light the overlooked achievements of a young enslaved girl， Mary Lumpkin， who， when free， founded a school to help educate other freed slaves。 The book is well-researched and though some of Mary Lumpkin's story is educated speculation on the part of the author， Kristen Green refers to historical records， court cases， and letters when possible。 As she explains， the records of poor Black slave women rarely survived。 But it's heartening to know that even with a dearth of physical records， the stories of brave， accomplished， and invisible Black women are starting to be told。 I found this book to be informative and empowering。 。。。more
Jody Keisner
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Thank you for the Advanced Review Copy！ Kristen Green delves into the forgotten （or purposefully erased？） history of Mary Lumpkin， an enslaved woman who transformed a notorious slave jail called The Devil's Half Acre into a place of education and empowerment。 I admire the author's investigative and research skills， and her choice to shed light on the incredible journey of Lumpkin and the slaves she helped。 If you want to fully understand American history and the contributions of women of color， Thank you for the Advanced Review Copy！ Kristen Green delves into the forgotten （or purposefully erased？） history of Mary Lumpkin， an enslaved woman who transformed a notorious slave jail called The Devil's Half Acre into a place of education and empowerment。 I admire the author's investigative and research skills， and her choice to shed light on the incredible journey of Lumpkin and the slaves she helped。 If you want to fully understand American history and the contributions of women of color， this is a MUST read。 This is also a must read for anyone interested in stories of resilience and hope。 。。。more
Lisa Lewis
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Green has done a masterful job of reconstructing the life of Mary Lumpkin， an enslaved woman who inherited an infamous slave jail in Richmond， Va。， and transformed it into a place of hope。 The book’s title， The Devil’s Half Acre， refers to the jail itself， a true place of horrors for countless enslaved people。 Even with Green’s exhaustive research， she’s had to fill in some of the gaps as she imagines various details of Lumpkin’s life。 This is an essential re-creation that sheds light on a bruta Green has done a masterful job of reconstructing the life of Mary Lumpkin， an enslaved woman who inherited an infamous slave jail in Richmond， Va。， and transformed it into a place of hope。 The book’s title， The Devil’s Half Acre， refers to the jail itself， a true place of horrors for countless enslaved people。 Even with Green’s exhaustive research， she’s had to fill in some of the gaps as she imagines various details of Lumpkin’s life。 This is an essential re-creation that sheds light on a brutal and horrible chapter of American history。 It was at times a difficult read， but I’m grateful to have received an advance copy。 。。。more
Jamie Gehring
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I loved this book！ Kristen Green tells the story of Mary Lumpkin with such skill and complete devotion。 The level of research and historical accuracy is impressive。 What an important piece of forgotten history。 Smartly written and engaging。 Thank you to the publisher for an advance reader copy。
Sara Hosey
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This is such an important book。 The Devil's Half Acre recovers a neglected history and tells the story of Mary Lumpkin， a truly extraordinary person。 A must-read！ This is such an important book。 The Devil's Half Acre recovers a neglected history and tells the story of Mary Lumpkin， a truly extraordinary person。 A must-read！ 。。。more
Aileen Weintraub
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The Devil's Half Acre is a carefully researched excavation of history。 Green tells the story of Mary Lumpkin， an enslaved woman who survived the brutality and trauma of slavery inside a prison known as The Devil's Half Acre。 When the jail was bequeathed to her after the slave trader who owned it died， she help found a school on the site， which became the cornerstone for one of America's first HBCUs。 As one of 2 million women and girls enslaved in America's south， Lumpkin's is a story that needs The Devil's Half Acre is a carefully researched excavation of history。 Green tells the story of Mary Lumpkin， an enslaved woman who survived the brutality and trauma of slavery inside a prison known as The Devil's Half Acre。 When the jail was bequeathed to her after the slave trader who owned it died， she help found a school on the site， which became the cornerstone for one of America's first HBCUs。 As one of 2 million women and girls enslaved in America's south， Lumpkin's is a story that needs to be told。 This is powerful book of resilience detailing her historic contributions。 。。。more
Lynn Melnick
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I was thrilled to receive an advanced copy of this book。 The Devil's Half Acre is a rarity in that it tells a riveting， true tale that also un-erases a Black woman from history。 Kristen Green has worked deeply in archives to uncover the true story of Mary Lumpkin and how she survived slavery and went on to found one of the first HBCU's from the building site of a former slave jail。 This is a story that never should have been lost; Mary Lumpkin should be celebrated and not forgotten。 Green does j I was thrilled to receive an advanced copy of this book。 The Devil's Half Acre is a rarity in that it tells a riveting， true tale that also un-erases a Black woman from history。 Kristen Green has worked deeply in archives to uncover the true story of Mary Lumpkin and how she survived slavery and went on to found one of the first HBCU's from the building site of a former slave jail。 This is a story that never should have been lost; Mary Lumpkin should be celebrated and not forgotten。 Green does just that。 。。。more
Rebecca Rolland
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This book is powerful and necessary reading。 The story of Mary Lumpkin is told with precise detail and rich historical context， and allows the reader to grasp the immense challenges and suffering she went through， while learning a great amount about the historical circumstances。 For Lumpkin's story not to have been erased， this book offers an amazing service--and is also incredibly engaging to read。 I was grateful to have received an ARC。 This book is powerful and necessary reading。 The story of Mary Lumpkin is told with precise detail and rich historical context， and allows the reader to grasp the immense challenges and suffering she went through， while learning a great amount about the historical circumstances。 For Lumpkin's story not to have been erased， this book offers an amazing service--and is also incredibly engaging to read。 I was grateful to have received an ARC。 。。。more
Christy Mathews
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The Devil's Half-Acre appeals to the historian who is interested in learning about the community held in the Half-acre， and the beauty and strength that came from that terrible place。 Heavy on historical content， this reads more like a social studies text; there's not much build up through narration or character development。 The Devil's Half-Acre appeals to the historian who is interested in learning about the community held in the Half-acre， and the beauty and strength that came from that terrible place。 Heavy on historical content， this reads more like a social studies text; there's not much build up through narration or character development。 。。。more
Caroline Palmer
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A fascinating and thrilling look at the history behind Sadeqa Johnson’s book The Yellow Wife， published in January 2021。 This book tells the story of Mary Lumpkin the ‘wife’ of a slave trader， and the history of every abused woman， black or white， in America。
Firetruckmama
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