Studio Waffles Waffles من عند Üçeylül Mahallesi, 64600 Eşme/Uşak, تركيا من عند Üçeylül Mahallesi, 64600 Eşme/Uşak, تركيا

I have read a number of book about slavery and the Old South, especially having grown up in North Carolina, and because I took a good bit of African American Lit during grad school. I wanted to like this book because there were some really likable and despicable characters. However, I get a real knee jerk reaction to books, especially ones written by white people, that portray "the happy slave." I think the author intended to show warmth and humanity within a system that condoned rape, humiliation, control, beating and indiscriminate murder, but I had a really difficult time buying it. Especially the cliched "Mammy" figure; the large, wise, knowing, maternal, nurturing Mama slave. She, or her persona, was romanticized and that really bothered me. Unfortunately, I felt that this book perpetuated a mythology that there really were "good" masters and at the very least, "contented" slaves (and I do say that loosely.) Folks, just like there weren't happy concentration camp prisoners in Nazi Germany, there weren't "contented slaves" who could so easily turn the other cheek in the Old South.

Very interesting discussion of mindlessness and mindfulness, and its effects on people's psychology. This is not sensationalized self help sound bites, new age fluff, or zen platitudes. It is relevant and insightful stuff, backed by empirical evidence.