Books

Average customer rating:

Could have used a little editing
I loved this book.
A NOVELISTIC TREATMENT OF NAT TURNER'S REBELLION
The Standard
The South Rises Again in all its Historically Inaccurate Glory

The Confessions Of Nat Turner
William Styron
Manufacturer: Books on Tape, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette

General | Books on Cassette | Formats | Books
Similar Items:

Lie Down in Darkness
Sophie's Choice
Darkness Visible: A Memoir of Madness
A Tidewater Morning
A Death in the Family

ASIN: 0736609334

Book Description

Turner's Rebellion took place in the long hot summer of 1831, in the state of Virginia. When it was over, 59 white people were dead; the insurgents were rounded up and either hanged or worse; and Nat Turner, a preacher, confessed to his part in the only effective revolt in the annals of American Negro slavery.

In his introduction of this Pulitzer Prize winner, Styron says "it has been my own intention to try to re-create a man and his era, and to produce a work that is less an historical novel in conventional terms than a meditation on history."

Download Description

Powerful, prize-winning 1967 novel depicts the odyssey of Nat Turner, leader of first slave revolt in the US. Styron's novel was profoundly controversial; some felt that's a white author had no right to the subject matter. By the acclaimed author of SOP

Customer Reviews:

Could have used a little editing .......2007-04-04

I didn't give this three stars because of the controversy around racism. It's historical fiction, fiction being the key word. And I didn't really pick up that tone from it at all. I thought it was an innovative retelling using what information we do know and filling in the blanks from there. The reason I gave it three stars is because it contained all sorts of things that I felt could have been cut from the book and it wouldn't have mattered. I almost gave up on it in the second section. I'm glad I finished it, but it was a little tough to keep interest in it.

I loved this book........2007-02-08

I read this book for my book club and I thought it was beautifully written. It has stayed with me for weeks now. I love when a book does that. I'm glad I wasn't swayed by controversy. I had no problem with the fact that the author was white and using a black voice(maybe because I'm white - but I do like when an author gets the voice right and I thought Styron did that). I didn't understand the charges of racism after reading the book. Sometimes I wonder if, what some people find uncomfortable, they label as racist or sexist or whatever. Anyway, I would encourage everyone to read this book because it gave me a fresh awareness of a huge part of U.S. history, it reminded me that there are always gray areas to consider and it was a great novel. You might think so too.

A NOVELISTIC TREATMENT OF NAT TURNER'S REBELLION .......2006-11-08

I came of political age during the civil rights struggle here in America in the early 1960's. Part and parcel with that awakening struggle came an increased interest in the roots of the black struggle, especially in slavery times. Such intellectuals as Herbert Apteker, the Genoveses, the Foners, Harold Cruise, James Baldwin, John Hope Franklin and others, black and white, were very interested in exploring or discovering a black resistance to the conditions of slavery not apparent on any then general reading of the black experience in America. This is the place where the recently deceased William Styron and his novelistic interpretation of one aspect of that struggle- Nat Turner's Virginia slave rebellion enters the fray.

No Styron is not politically correct in his appreciation of Turner or his followers. Nor are latter day Southern whites and their sympathizers who have recoiled in horror at what expansion of Turner's rebellion might have meant for the `peculiar institution'. But being politically correct, etc. now or historically is beside the point. Slavery was brutal. Slavery brutalized whole generations of black people for a very long time. If one expects nature's noblemen and women to come out of such a process, one will be very sadly mistaken. That the white benificaries of this system were brutalized is a given. Human progress has come about through fits and starts not a seamless curve onward and upward. Nevertheless all our sympathies are with Nat and his fellow rebels.

Moreover, here are some things to think about if you are not worried about your political correctness status. Outside of John Brown at Harper's Ferry Turner's rebellion represented the highest achievement of resistance to the white slaveholders in the early 19th century. Although the fight was not pretty on either side every progressive today should stand in historical solidarity with that fight. Then one will understand not only that oppression oppresses but also that the military conditions for a successful rebellion for isolated blacks in pre- Civil War American were slim. The later incorporation of 200,000 black soldiers and sailors among the Northern forces in the Civil War are a very, very profound argument that once off the plantation blacks were as capable of bravery, courage and honor as an other American. As difficult as it is, if you do not have access to the original chronicles of the Turner uprising, read this book to get a flavor of how hard the struggle for the abolition of slavery in this country was going to be.

The Standard.......2006-08-25

For me, William Styron has written the standard from which to draw the historical novel. I say draw because an historical novel is just that; a novel. But even while the reader knows this, historical novels always seem to provoke some response framed by the light of a current outlook. This is ironic because the main attraction of historical novels (at least for me) is the escapist type pleasure that is found by immersing oneself in another world and time. This is the writer's accomplishment. William Styron does this in language and in pace so artfully that his book remains on my shelf. I keep 'The Confessions of Nat Turner' for its enjoyment and inspiration.

The South Rises Again in all its Historically Inaccurate Glory.......2006-04-22

I originally wrote a review of this book in 1999, titled "This is a racist book disguised as a work of art." It seems that I didn't explain well enough my objection to Styron's co-opting of the story of a real human being, Nat Turner, whose story was more accurately depicted in the 1831 book, "The Confessions of Nat Turner," by T.R. Gray. Not only did Styron steal the title of Gray's book, in which Gray recounts his interview with the real Nat Turner, but the incidents Styron invents for the sake of drama reveal his southern-bred racism.

Unlike his depiction in Styron's book, Nat Turner was married. Styron's invention of Turner's pivotal and conflicted relationship with a white woman, Margaret Whitehead, is entirely fictional. So is any self-doubt that Turner did the right thing by leading the revolt. In Gray's account, Turner did not express regret. There is so much more depth to Turner's life that is either fictionalized beyond recognition or left unexplored in this book.

Do those facts make a difference in a work of fiction? Yes. The parts Styron has unnecessarily fictionalized are key to the story he invented. Turner's fictional relationship with Margaret is saturated in the southern myth that black men are obsessed with white women -- lusting for the forbidden fruit, for which they must die. That Styron crawls into Nat Turner's skin in order to infect him with self-doubt about his mission emasculates Turner and diminishes his cause. What offends me most is that Nat Turner's life deserves to be explored by a modern author who does not condescend or patronize this African-American hero. Instead, we have William Styron's version of Turner's life, taken by many readers as fact.

If one prefers racist fiction posing as a legitimate account of a life, then one might enjoy wallowing in this version of "Confessions." But if one prefers reality, I recommend Gray's book as well as other accounts available about the slave revolt at Southampton, Virginia. Styron's book does not provide significant insights into Nat Turner, slave revolt or slavery itself. His book clouds the truth with the same kind of Reconstruction era distortions that spawned the hideous phenomenon of lynching.

The Confessions of Nat Turner: and Related Documents (The Bedford Series in History and Culture)

Average customer rating:

Great book
A Historical but tedious book

The Confessions of Nat Turner: and Related Documents (The Bedford Series in History and Culture)
Kenneth S. Greenberg
Manufacturer: Bedford/St. Martin's
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Americas | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

Slavery & Emancipation | World | History | Subjects | Books

Social History | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books

Qualifying Textbooks - Spring 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

The Cherokee Removal: A Brief History with Documents (The Bedford Series in History and Culture)
Nat Turner: A Slave Rebellion in History and Memory
David Walker's Appeal
The Murder of Helen Jewett
Richmond Burning: The Last Days of the Confederate Capital

ASIN: 0312112076

Customer Reviews:

Great book.......2000-12-21

This is a terrific book. The introduction is particularly insightful. This is a good book for anybody interested in the history of slavery and slave rebellions.

A Historical but tedious book.......1999-04-23

I love history, so naturally this book sounded interesting to me. I learded a lot from it. It was a very informative, well written book about one of America's strongest Slaves. I admire his ablility to stand behind his beliefs, and this book interprets his life with grace and integrity. I recommend this book to anyone who likes reading dense books packed with history.

America's Black Spartacus Remembered : The Confessions of Nat Turner

Average customer rating:

A Magic History Lesson
Four Thumbs Up for Kente Classics

America's Black Spartacus Remembered : The Confessions of Nat Turner

Manufacturer: Masterbuy Audiobooks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette

General | Literature & Fiction | Books on Cassette | Formats | Books

Literary Classics | Literature & Fiction | Books on Cassette | Formats | Books

Unabridged | Literature & Fiction | Books on Cassette | Formats | Books

General | Nonfiction | Books on Cassette | Formats | Books

General | Books on Cassette | Formats | Books

Customer Reviews:

A Magic History Lesson.......2000-11-16

The Confessions of Nat Turner audio book is a magic history lesson that is emotionally and intellectually appealing rich in detail and magnificent in scope. It is also exciting, compelling, powerful and tersely written and should be heard by anyone interested in the history of the United States. This excellent documentary should be part of all American History courses.

Four Thumbs Up for Kente Classics.......2000-09-18

For those Americans both black and white, who've dared imagine the the myriad horrors of the slavery system, the audio book by Kente Classics "Americas Black Spartacus Remembered" is a compelling and vivid journey back into one of saddest moments in Americas often violent history. The tape brilliantly deals with the actual confessions given by the captured "Black Spartacus", Nat Turner to attorney Thomas Gray in November 1831 (3 months after the revolt, and just before he was to meet a certain fate of death by hanging). Gray went own to publish "General Nat's" confessions in a pamphlet which was widely read throughout the northern and southern states.

As the tape begins, we hear Gray (stage actor Michael Collins) describe Nat Turner's (stage actor Bernard Addison) entry into the interview room, in heavy chains and shackles from head to toe. From that point forward you we "transported" back in time and space to the very room itself.

One of the great advantages of the audio book as a medium, is its ability, like all great live theatre, to engage you through the aural senses to a place where you feel as though you are there witnessing the event taking place. For entire 1:30 min. playing time, this tape holds you in its grip with chilling descriptions by Turner of how he and his band of "disciples" went about their "work". The horrible result being, the ultimate death of over 30 white slave owners and their families, and the capture and slaughter of over 100 blacks in retailiation by maurauding bans of whites and militias mobilized in response. All this carnage taking place in a few days during August of 1831 in Southampton County Virginia.

Where the tape succeeds in a historical context for those interested in the episode, is we see the obvious impact the event had on the politics of the times, and the vast schism that existed between north and south on the matter of slavery.

Furthemore, because we actually hear the spoken words of Turner himself describe his motivation, objectives, and mental state for his actions, we are provided with a direct contrast to the Pulitzer Prize winning, and widely read book (a novel)"The Confessioins of Nat Turner", written by William Styron and published in 1968.

In a well written afterthought provided at the end of the tape, written by William L. Andrews, a professor at the University of North Carolina, we hear of challenges to the authenticity of Gray's confessions because Gray seems to imbue Turner with far too much intelligence and elegance of speech for a uneducated Negro. Andrews also argues convincely that the ultimate result of the Turner revolt may have mitigated southern anti-slavery sentiments to the point where the final conflict which was the Civil War was inevitable. In this, we see the validity of the comparison of Nat Turner to the Spartacus of 2000 years earlier.

The rest of the cast is equally superb, with Collins doubling as the voice of the Judge, and Shakeperean pro Allen Gilmore playing the voice of the William L. Andrews. The tape is punctuated with 2 very moving musical interludes by the great Odetta which help to add to the emotional impact of this sterling production. The tape jacket provides us with artists reproductions of the scowling Turner and a map of the country side where the revolt took place.

As has been the case with other Kente Classics audio books I have experienced, this tape succeeds because of the historical importance of the subject matter chosen, outstanding quality of the writing and editing, and the professional performances of the actors chosen for the various spoken roles.

Book Description

The second volume in the CREATORS OF THE AMERICAN MIND series, NAT TURNER: CRY FREEDOM IN AMERICA provides both primary and secondary selections that give students specific knowledge of this important individual in American history.

Customer Reviews:

an introduction to an intriguing historical figure.......2003-01-23

If you are looking for a brief introduction to this intriguing figure in American history, _Cry Freedom_ could be it. It includes portions of most of the important literature regarding Turner, including the full text of his 'confession' to Thomas Gray. However, one must be careful. The book has attracted very little attention in the academic community. Moreover, there are several errors, and it fails to come to a proper conclusion. Use it as a 'spring-board' for further research, but if you want the definitive collection of documents on Turner's rebellion, obtain a copy of Henry Irving Tragle's _The Southampton Slave Revolt of 1831_.

Nat Turner's Slave Rebellion: Including the 1831 "Confessions"

Average customer rating:

Nat Turner's Slave Rebellion: Including the 1831 "Confessions"
Herbert Aptheker
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

African-American & Black | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

The Fires of Jubilee: Nat Turner's Fierce Rebellion

ASIN: 0486452727

Book Description

The first full-length study of the bloodiest slave uprising in U.S. history, this meticulously researched document explores the nature of Southern society in the early 19th century and the conditions that led to the rebellion. Aptheker's book includes Turner's "Confessions," recorded before his execution in 1831.

Average customer rating:

The Confessions of Nat Turner, A Novel

Manufacturer: A Random House Book
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Similar Items:

Darkness Visible: A Memoir of Madness
The Known World

ASIN: B000IE8CXA

Nat Turner's Slave Rebellion: Together With the Full Text of the So-Called "Confessions" of Nat Turner Made in Prison in 1831

Average customer rating:

American Wars of Liberation, Part II

Nat Turner's Slave Rebellion: Together With the Full Text of the So-Called "Confessions" of Nat Turner Made in Prison in 1831

Manufacturer: Humanities Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

Customer Reviews:

American Wars of Liberation, Part II.......2004-06-16

When I was a college student in the early `60s, Herbert Aptheker was referred to as a Marxist historian. Maybe he was or maybe that was just part of the spirit of those somewhat cramped times, when anyone who challenged authority or wanted to speak his mind contrary to "accepted wisdom" ran the risk of being labelled Marxist, red, or Communist. Certainly, after reading this book---published by the "radical" Grove Press in 1968---I cannot find anything remotely resembling Communism or leftwing ideas. Perhaps at the time, ideas such as those found in NAT TURNER'S SLAVE REBELLION were considered controversial. Daring to praise the spirit and intelligence of a man who tried to rebel against an evil, ugly system was still radical. It is not so today, at least not so far as slavery is concerned. We have our own, modern bogeymen of whom it is better not to speak.

Aptheker documents the origins, local economic and social conditions, the mood among slaves, and the mood among whites as concerned the very institution of slavery before the two-day rebellion which occurred in Virginia in 1831. He notes the rise in black population vis-à-vis the white population. He uses many quotes from either contemporary writers or those who wrote much later and footnotes everything scrupulously. The bulk of this short work is divided into three sections: the Environment, the Event, and the Effects. I cannot say the book makes thrilling reading, nor will it hold the attention of many. Aptheker ably establishes that Nat Turner's Rebellion belongs in that class of historical movement led by a prophet and disastrously unprepared for real war. Such movements have sprung up everywhere throughout history, from Brazil to India, from the American West to medieval Europe. The most fascinating reading is Nat Turner's "confession" itself, taken after his capture, a few months later. We read the words of a prophet strained through the mind and pen of a local man of average intelligence who believed he was interviewing a dangerous criminal, nothing more. Few such interviews with prophets---even of this quality---exist. Perhaps there are other, better books on Nat Turner. If so, read them. He deserves to be far better known, a would-be American Spartacus. Aptheker's pioneering work is solid, but difficult reading, hence my grade of only three stars.

William Styron's Nat Turner: Ten Black Writers Respond
Average customer rating:
William Styron's Nat Turner: Ten Black Writers Respond
John Henrik Clarke
Manufacturer: Beacon Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Similar Items:

Confessions of Nat Turner (Vintage Classic)

Invisible Man

ASIN: 0807064262

The Confessions Of Nat Turner: The Leader Of The Late Insurrection In Southampton, Virginia
Average customer rating:
The Confessions Of Nat Turner: The Leader Of The Late Insurrection In Southampton, Virginia
Thomas R. Gray
Manufacturer: Kessinger Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Historical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Confessions of Nat Turner (Vintage Classic)

ASIN: 1419157418

Book Description

This is the original document, as told to a white southerner name of Thomas Gray. Hmm, you think Styron considered whether or not a white southerner was the right man to tell the tale? -- disclaimer, as a Marylander, I seem to qualify as a white southerner...

Download Description

Average customer rating:

The Confessions of Nat Turner
William Styron
Manufacturer: Random House c1966
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000GBGMFA

Books:

Books