The Confessions of Nat Turner: Pulitzer Prize Winner

I bought this book thinking it would provide additional details of Nat Turner's rebellion, and then learned that no one possesses detailed documentation of that time. Doesn't matter. I disagree with the criticism that the book is racist. If one were to take only those criticized passages and read them out of context, then yes, one could think Nat Turner's sexual fantasies were written as part of a racist stereotype. But, I think the critics miss the point. The fantasies illustrate the white attitude towards Nat that he is less than a man. When a beautiful young white woman interacted with Nat Turner as if he were an innocent child, and not a man, the fantasies lept to his mind without his control. I think this is part of Styron's strategy in imagining the myriad psychological effects slavery had on a person. Besides, the author doesn't have Nat going off and intentionally daydreaming sexual fantasies. Turner's intentional thoughts are more lofty. The point, I think was to show that he is a normal man, not treated as such by those in power. That is why he hates the women so much when these feelings emerged. But, really, these are minor passages in the book, compared to everything else used by the author to convey what the life of a slave might have been like.I immersed myself in the style and feeling of this book, just as much as I noted story details, which we must remember were mostly developed in Styron's mind, in order to present the oppression of slavery permeating the psychology, society, and culture of everyone in that time setting. Often, Nat finds himself traded for oxen when he works temporarily on another farm. Even white characters portrayed as the nicer slave owners verbalize the insulting attitudes, indicating that they are kind to animals. Thus twisted message of their attitude towards the rank of black people becomes clear. There can never be kindness in an institution that allows one person to own another, simply as a beast of burden. As a result, justification emerged among whites, as a psychological defense, that the institution was required, based on racial superiority. Whether the white person considered himself a benevolent master, providing housing and food in return for work, or whether the white person was a sadist towards any human under his control, the fact remained that both types of whites believed that black people were so incapable of taking care of themselves that generally they had to be owned! That is the message that was conveyed to me through Styron's imaginative interpretation of circumstances that would have driven Nat Turner to take the actions he did. The attitudes of all whites, and of the culture, conveyed this message, and it was not surprising that some victims of the horrors of slavery were then driven to murderous rage.I thought the book was a masterpiece. Let yourself become immersed in the feelings generated through the author's story telling, and remember that generating these feelings is the intent of the author, because very little is actually known about Turner's individual life. What a horrific, sad legacy in our history, this idea that one human being could legally be owned by another. This book makes sure we do not forget.

IMHO, This book should have never been written; it most certainly was not worthy of receiving a Pulitzer prize!A quasi-historical and semi-fictional book with a white man putting words into the mouth of a black man does NOT work on many levels, too highly charged.Perhaps, the impetus was a slow period in Styron's life; and this was his attempt to revive his career by writing a sensationalized book.And, no, a young girl would not have been running around in her pantaloons in front of a white, or black man in that time!This is from the prospective of an 77-year old white woman.

This is a tough one to review. Due to the subject, it is very difficult for one, in this day, to separate the book from the fact that it was written by a white Southerner. Obviously, this issue has been central to public discourse about it, as Styron himself acknowledges in the Afterword.Ultimately though, one has to judge the book on its own merits, right? Without question, Styron writes well. His prose is enjoyable to read in this as well as his other books. In historical fiction, though, characterization and authenticity are important. And the choices he makes for his (version of the) protagonist are questionable. Perhaps predictably, my big questions center on those choices that invited the most controversy in the book's early days. Namely, is there any reason to throw in a homosexual incident? It doesn't seem to fit the character we're watching. Would an educated Nat really have had rape fantasies about a white woman? Is the implication that it's in his nature?You see? One is immediately drawn into the socio-political issues. They're hard not to think about. But here's an even more challenging question. Would I (or anyone else) object to the choices made had Styron's friend James Baldwin made them? I feel like I end up projecting my own take on slavery and race relations onto the book, including all the baggage that comes with that. Unfortunately, that makes this review so subjective as to be not very valuable. As a sidebar, I wonder if this book has come to be seen as ground zero for the intellectual movement against so-called cultural appropriation?For what it's worth, I'd recommend reading the book.

I love this book - it makes me very uneasy though to praise it. Today's sensitive racial climate suggests that only a black man can write fiction about a black man's life. James Baldwin disagreed, but at the same time the enormity of the injustices almost compels a veto on the idea. However, this probably makes the book a singular experience, and one I value very much.

I purchased this book, although I had read this several years ago. My interest to revisit the novel was aroused when I read The Good Lord Bird and viewed the series. There are strong parallels in the struggles and the motivations explored in these works. Styron is a talented writer who makes this history come alive and gather relevance. The brutal consequences of an impossible circumstance lives on through this century as the legacy of slavery is explored in splendid literary works such as this powerful novel. I highly recommend it.

Styrons novel "the confessions of Nat Turner" uses the most famous slave revolt in US history as the starting point for a fictionalized biography of Nat Turner and by extension black american slavery itself. He conjurs up the horrors of slavery and its banalities in a fast paced narrative that is also an evocation of the subtle beauties of the Virginia countryside. Overall Styron succeds brilliantly in recreating the peculiarities of the American past whilst providing a primer on race relations for the American present.

Brilliant book, well documented, a good read. I have it to my son to read and he couldn't put it down. That's saying something.

Bought after recommendation on radio. Excellent.

Having read 'Sophie's Choice' I felt I understood a bit about the writer. Some of the issues came across very badly but I think Styron was a very good writer if a bit weird. By weird I mean issues regarding hate/love/wanting/despising women(as in Sophie's Choice' . Kept me interested though and made me look up as many real details as I could regarding Nat Turner.

Excellent Item, swift delivery A***