The Book of Negroes (2015)

The Book of Negroes miniseries was amazing! The cast truly portrays what the African people had experienced throughout the years. Even in the pilot episode, the Book of Negroes depicts the torture, loss of identity and culture that the people faced. Unlike other movies or television shows that revolve around slavery and oppression of black people, the vividness of the show really hit me hard. There are a few moments when I had to shut my eyes because it was became too intense and I couldn't bear to watch. The story is a great reminder of the hardships and suffering of the African people and captures the true meaning of why we celebrate Black History month. It is one of the most interesting shows I have watched as it gave me better insight of how the slave trade functioned and the oppression of a whole race as well as the many cultures within it.I would definitely recommend others to watch the Book of Negroes or read it. It is a heartbreaking yet an eye-opening story.

This mini series is artfully and authentically written, acted and directed. Ms. Ellis and the cast are compelling and so believable. The story itself offers more of the complexities of the people and time period and reminds us of the vastness of a history that we have accepted on face value, as told to us from a very limited set of perspectives. This view hit me hard. A lesser told story of the Black family under the assault of genocide, racism, poverty, persecution and unthinkable acts of terror is explored here. The love story that often takes a second seat to those events, is, here, given a fuller and deeper expression. It was painful but so authentic, I was compelled to watch each episode and encourage all to do the same. There are a few moments when you want your children to close their eyes, and many when they will have questions and comments. It also demonstrates how even when the Caucasians considered themselves "good" to blacks, they were so entrenched in racism and superiority that they had to be made to know that their "good" was self-serving and constrained by their own indoctrination that they were inherently "better." It's a great way to explore history. Watch it.

The book of Negroes does something that most Slave-genres do not. They give a voice to the African slave. I don't mean the Black-America slave, but the African slave. Warning, may contain spoilers.It is rich with authenticity, and empowering despite the genre it covers. Aminata Diallo is a brave soul, an abolitionist, a feminist and she is African. The series gives a glimpse of the rich culture that existed in Africa prior to Colonization, and helps give a better understanding of who enslaved African were (most slave narratives provide insight on who enslaved Africans became-under the whip if I may add). Chekura Tiano dispels the myth of the powerless black man and his relationship with Aminata validates the African family even as it was being ripped apart by slavery. Their relationship was in many ways a sort of fairytale, it carried with it the essence of traditional story-telling.Over-all, I enjoyed the series and hope to see it extended; maybe to fully explore either the colony in Sierra Leone, or Africa prior to the events in the series.

Like others have said here, I got a good bit of new information from this series, that I didn't know about before. I've always liked Ms. Ellis, especially in The Mentalist. There was a great deal of subtle artistry in her makeup as she aged. I thought the story flowed very well. But honestly, whoever cut the series should get a new pair of scissors. Maybe the network cut it so sloppily for commercials? It was completely distracting. Other than that, I was fascinated with the set direction, costumes, locations and thought the supporting cast was very good. I'd like to read a bio of Ms. Diallo now. Ridiculous that we have to write ten lines for a review. Blah.