Book Review by Aarene Storms: Etched in Clay : the life of Dave, enslaved potter and poet
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
by Andrea Cheng
horses mules and hogs —
all our cows is in the bogs —
there they shall ever stay
till the buzzards take them away =
—March 29, 1836
Very little is known about the slave called Dave, who was purchased and brought to Edgefield South Carolina sometime prior to 1818. At a young age, Dave learned to turn a potter's wheel to create clay pots and jars ... and somewhere along the way, Dave also learned to read and write -- a skill strictly forbidden to slaves. Despite laws against slave literacy, Dave signed many of his jars and also carved short poems into them.
Dave's life is poetically narrated by himself and a wide cast of characters: his first wife, Eliza. His first documented owner, Harvey Drake. Sarah Drake, wife of Harvey. Other slaves and other owners add to the story, shard by shard. The result is a small book that holds a great treasure. Share it.
Rating:
No sex, some alcohol, some blood, and of course, there's slavery. End notes include information about Edgefield Pottery, the surviving collections of Dave's pottery, and a list of sources.
Highly recommended for readers ages 12 to adult.
The events may not have happened; still, the story is true. --R. Silvern
Aarene Storms, youth services librarian
Richmond Beach and Lake Forest Park Libraries, KCLS
all our cows is in the bogs —
there they shall ever stay
till the buzzards take them away =
—March 29, 1836
Very little is known about the slave called Dave, who was purchased and brought to Edgefield South Carolina sometime prior to 1818. At a young age, Dave learned to turn a potter's wheel to create clay pots and jars ... and somewhere along the way, Dave also learned to read and write -- a skill strictly forbidden to slaves. Despite laws against slave literacy, Dave signed many of his jars and also carved short poems into them.
Dave's life is poetically narrated by himself and a wide cast of characters: his first wife, Eliza. His first documented owner, Harvey Drake. Sarah Drake, wife of Harvey. Other slaves and other owners add to the story, shard by shard. The result is a small book that holds a great treasure. Share it.
Rating:
No sex, some alcohol, some blood, and of course, there's slavery. End notes include information about Edgefield Pottery, the surviving collections of Dave's pottery, and a list of sources.
Highly recommended for readers ages 12 to adult.
The events may not have happened; still, the story is true. --R. Silvern
Aarene Storms, youth services librarian
Richmond Beach and Lake Forest Park Libraries, KCLS
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