Reviews for The Lost German Slave Girl: The Extraordinary True Story of Sally Miller and Her Fight for Freedom in Old New Orleans

The average rating for The Lost German Slave Girl: The Extraordinary True Story of Sally Miller and Her Fight for Freedom in Old New Orleans based on 2 reviews is 4.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2009-10-07 00:00:00 Denny Linhorst This historical non-fiction book is such an astonishing, convoluted story, that it seems more far-fetched and over-the-top than most historical fictions about the Old South - and therefore it comes out as a much more fascinating book than most novels about New Orleans. More than that, because of its subject matter, it is also a very serious study of slavery, that helps us understand how it worked, and shows us how inhuman it was - if we ever needed more proofs of that. Any author could write quite an entertaining book with the saga of Sally Miller and the incredible court battle that ensued over her identity (was this young woman, recognized by German immigrants in the streets of New Orleans, a white woman or a mulatto, and therefore was she a slave or not?) But Bailey possesses a number of gifts that make his work a first-class compulsive read. First, he's a very talented storyteller: he knows not only how to create suspense through a complicated legal case, but also how to write about New Orleans in a compelling way. Second, he's obviously knowledgeable about law and history, and he does convey all the ramifications of the different episodes he narrates without getting confusing, staying focused on what he's trying to demonstrate. Third, he's well aware that this bizarre tale can best be used as a way to introduce us to the different faces of slavery, and he does so with deep humanity, recreating with vivid details the brutal, unimaginable and horrifying world of slavery through the legal lens: the result is not only a richly satisfying page-turner, but also a complex meditation on the mindset of the South and on a society based on unjustifiable rules and principles. The twists of the story concerning the fate of the heroine also help Bailey approach slavery with unusual angles, and allow him to pinpoint some of the most outrageous aspects of the system that ruled the Southern states. It's hard not to be impressed - and not to be deeply moved by what the story of Sally Miller reveals to us.

Review # 2 was written on 2012-10-13 00:00:00 Lonnie Mccroy WOW! I will say that this book turned out to be a lot more interesting than I first expected. And by the time you get to the end... and the whole story comes together.... you are left with a smile and a "I'll be damned". A lot of these kind of books tend to lose a little interest as they get into court proceedings... NOT THIS ONE! It is just warming up. This is a EXTRAORDINARY story indeed. Even if you are not a fan of history or non fiction, this book is good for anyone. I never expected this book to be a "5 star" book when I started. I read the second half of the book in 2 days because I could not put it down. And at the end... my response was "WOW!"... I gotta say, I'm really surprised at all the 3 star ratings. I admit the beginning is a little hum drum, a lot of history on New Orleans and such. But this books reminds me of one of those movies you watch, where the whole time your wondering "what is going on"... then it all comes together at the end and you are left saying, "That was pretty cool".