Yellow Wife: A Novel
Called "simply enchanting" by New York Times bestselling author Lisa Wingate, this harrowing story follows an enslaved woman forced to barter love and freedom while living in the most infamous slave jail in Virginia.
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Community Reviews
Reflections on Yellow Wife by Sadeqa Johnson
Choice is explicit in this story, and the many faces of choice.
Choice for women. There were so many moments in Pheby's life that choice was taken from her. In tiny secluded moments though, she chose to either act composed to observe or plan. She chose to defy in tiny ways. She chose to survive by any means, especially after bearing children.
Motherhood. From her first born son that was kept from her at times. She defied by finding ways to be nurturing to him. Soft to him. She would whisper affirmations to him. I love her tenacity to continue to feed him his identity, to hold his head high. Her son was such a symbolic extension of her. He was the product of her first and only love. His journey mirrored hers. I felt so much fear towards his story. I was so attached to him. I find his outcome at the end a balm to my heart. In his harsh upbringing Pheby made it her mission to give him softness, I found that so beautiful.
Her three daughters. Such varied trajectories but also extensions of her. Some went away to college and got education, fell in love, and married. One daughter stayed behind claimed her heritage loudly, and stayed with Pheby to make a community. Something about the three varied trajectories makes me hopeful because Pheby lives on in them. And CHOICE, they all got to choose their outcome. I find so much comfort in that.
It was an honest book that exposed so many fears in me as a mother, as a woman. It makes me think of the safety of Black Women. It makes me think about unselfish love. It makes me think about legacy. It makes me think of showing up for each other, and how sometimes for safety reasons, it has to look different. Just knowing you have people to trust with big secrets, someone to light the way to your escape when the time comes, well that is the true treasure of life.
I listened to this book while in mourning (still an ongoing) maybe I was extra exposed to receive the messages. Maybe Johnsonâs writing will always do that to me. But I just feel like I cannot unlearn and un-feel the things I did. I think this book was perfect for what my soul was craving.
Choice is explicit in this story, and the many faces of choice.
Choice for women. There were so many moments in Pheby's life that choice was taken from her. In tiny secluded moments though, she chose to either act composed to observe or plan. She chose to defy in tiny ways. She chose to survive by any means, especially after bearing children.
Motherhood. From her first born son that was kept from her at times. She defied by finding ways to be nurturing to him. Soft to him. She would whisper affirmations to him. I love her tenacity to continue to feed him his identity, to hold his head high. Her son was such a symbolic extension of her. He was the product of her first and only love. His journey mirrored hers. I felt so much fear towards his story. I was so attached to him. I find his outcome at the end a balm to my heart. In his harsh upbringing Pheby made it her mission to give him softness, I found that so beautiful.
Her three daughters. Such varied trajectories but also extensions of her. Some went away to college and got education, fell in love, and married. One daughter stayed behind claimed her heritage loudly, and stayed with Pheby to make a community. Something about the three varied trajectories makes me hopeful because Pheby lives on in them. And CHOICE, they all got to choose their outcome. I find so much comfort in that.
It was an honest book that exposed so many fears in me as a mother, as a woman. It makes me think of the safety of Black Women. It makes me think about unselfish love. It makes me think about legacy. It makes me think of showing up for each other, and how sometimes for safety reasons, it has to look different. Just knowing you have people to trust with big secrets, someone to light the way to your escape when the time comes, well that is the true treasure of life.
I listened to this book while in mourning (still an ongoing) maybe I was extra exposed to receive the messages. Maybe Johnsonâs writing will always do that to me. But I just feel like I cannot unlearn and un-feel the things I did. I think this book was perfect for what my soul was craving.
The book Yellow Wife presents a riveting account of a mulatto woman’s horrific experiences with the brutality of slavery. Though faced with a life of difficulty, challenge and loss, (with sprinkles of happiness scattered here and there) the story’s heroine finds a way to persevere through it all. While Yellow Wife has a provocative, intense, and often heart-wrenching storyline, it is still as one of the best books I’ve ever read.
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