An Analytical Book Review of the Book Voices from the Century Before by Mary Clay Berry
Mary Clay Berry manages to provide the reader with an idea of how 19 century families lived in her book Voices from the Century Before: The Odyssey of a 19th Century Kentucky Family. Berry is the granddaughter of Brutus Clay, who was known as one of Kentucky's major slave owners. She shares with us the stories she so very well remembers and the letters, as well as her own comments and opinions, which were passed back and forth between her family members. While reading this book, a person can see just how different yet truly remarkable this time period was for a small town Kentucky family.
Mary Clay Berry wishes to educate the reader on how Kentucky families lived during the 19th century. She uses the records of her own family's lives to do just this. Berry uses detailed documents kept by her grandfather as well as stories sent back and forth between members of the family and her own memories she has kept over the years. She provides with us a great deal of information that isn't found in textbooks. She speaks of the great troubles her family faced, how the family members dealt with these troubles and how her family came to be. By using all of these documents, letters and memories, Mary Clay Berry is able to paint a portrait of a 19 century Kentucky family.
Voices from the Century Before: The Odyssey of a 19th Century Kentucky Family is a great book for any person wishing to travel back into time and get an idea of what life was like. Berry does an excellent job on informing the reader about how her family lived, which was similar to other families during this time. By using the letters and documents that have been passed around her family, she is able to create an idea of what a 19th century Kentucky family was like. A clever way Berry ties all of this together is with the use of her own memories and opinions, which she adds into the book numerous times. Without her comments and opinions, this book may be hard to "get into." These letters were written in the 19th century so they're obviously different from today's language. With Berry's help, she allows the reader to put the pieces together and see just how remarkable this time period truly was.
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Although Berry's book is beautifully written and full of attention-grabbing stories and letters, she still seems to be a bit biased and focuses more on the intimate side of the people involved. For instance, many of the letters she provides us with are between her grandfather Brutus and his new lover Ann. Although these letters are beautiful and so very interesting, I feel as though there are too many of them. I feel as though there are still some questions left unanswered. How did the women deal with all the heartbreaking troubles? What did the slaves do when they weren't working? Also, I would love to know more about how Mary's childhood was. Was she told these stories over and over? However, Mary still does a wonderful job with her book. She includes records that were kept by her grandfather to show the reader how his life was like on a day to day basis. These records mainly dealt with his slaves, property he owned, and the daily work that was to be done around his home.
Overall, Berry does an incredible job with her book. She invites the audience into her family's personal lives in order to show us just how life was during this time. Without her personal memories and opinions, this book would be sort of dull. Without the documents left by her grandfather, the reader would only have the letters to go by. However, with everything together, this book is well crafted and highly educational. Even though she includes a large amount of intimacy in this book, she makes sure to use the records she has been left with to include some evidence to how her family lived.
To conclude, Mary Clay Berry's book Voices from the Century Before: The Odyssey of a 19th Century Kentucky Family is wonderful for anyone wishing to learn about Kentucky's history. Berry includes a little bit of everything in this book. Not only is it a good choice for anyone wishing to learn a little about Kentucky's history, but it is also a nice book to just sit down and enjoy. She does a very good job constructing this book and creating a sort of timeline with the letters and records. Mary Clay Berry does a fantastic job with giving the audience an idea of how the 19th century was with her book Voices from the Century Before: The Odyssey of a 19" Century Kentucky Family.
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An Analytical Book Review of the Book Voices from the Century Before by Mary Clay Berry. (2023, Feb 22). Retrieved from https://phdessay.com/an-analytical-book-review-of-the-book-voices-from-the-century-before-by-mary-clay-berry/
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