Yellow Wife by Sadeqa Johnson review: A book everyone should read

Get ready for the release of Yellow Wife by Sadeqa Johnson

If you’re looking for a new book to read, there’s one coming this week. Yellow Wife by Sadeqa Johnson is a must-read for all.

The story is set in the 1850s in Virginia, United States. Loosely based on a true story, it tells us the tale of Pheby Delores Brown, a young slave girl promised her freedom at the age of 18 by her master, who is presumably also her father. A situation outside of her control prevents that from happening, and she ends up with a life she never expected.

This is one of those books that is hard to read. It’s a story that will remain with you forever. And it’s one of the most important historical fiction novels right now.

I was provided a free copy of Yellow Wife by NetGalley in return for this honest review.

What is Yellow Wife by Sadeqa Johnson?

Pheby Brown was born on a plantation in Charles City, Virginia. Educated well, it’s clear she is her master’s favorite at the plantation. He promises her freedom on her 18th birthday, although there are a few slaves at the plantation who question that. Can you ever trust a white man?

Instead of getting the freedom she was promised, she ends up thrown into a life she never even considered. She ends up at the Devil’s Half-Acre, a jail with a cruel owner who tortures and sells Black men, women, and children on a daily basis.

She has no choice but to become the mistress of the brutal man who owns the jail. It’s the only way she can fight for freedom, if not for herself, for her children.

The story itself is based loosely on a true story, Mary Lumpkin’s tale inspired this one.

Rich in detail, even the harrowing ones

I tend to find novels told from the first person limited in the description when it comes to other characters. However, Johnson manages to give us a lot of details about the characters’ actions to allow us to know them. Pheby is a wonderful storyteller, glossing over some of the least important parts of the story to make sure we’re constantly focused on her life and her fight for freedom.

Yellow Wife is rich in detail from everything Pheby sees. That includes the harrowing events, including whipping a pregnant woman until she loses her baby. We feel grief for others through Pheby as she takes in the sights and sounds around her.

The descriptions will stay with you. They become physical images in the brain in the way 12 Years a Slave left harrowing thoughts at the end. You’ll find yourself wanting to learn more despite how difficult it can be to read.

Pheby isn’t always likable

Something I did find while reading is that our main character isn’t always likable. And I like that fact.

So many times, books with women in the lead create Mary Sues. Or they make sure the flaws are only minor, not getting in the way of the overall story. It’s been a push in the last couple of years to see female leads with flaws that can leave them unlikeable at times—making them human.

That’s exactly what Johnson achieves with Pheby. She takes advice that sometimes harms her and acts out in ways that make you scream. But everything she does is with one goal in mind: to secure freedom.

At first, it’s about her own freedom. That’s not the way it stays, and it makes her flaws understandable and acceptable.

There are other characters to hate throughout the book. There are some to dislike but feel for because of the situation they’re in. Everyone is human in one of the worst points of American history.

Don’t sleep on this book. Once you start, you won’t be able to put it down. Pre-order it now ready for tomorrow’s release.

Yellow Wife by Sadeqa Johnson is available on Jan. 12, 2021. Get it with two-day free shipping with Amazon Prime.