I finally read Yellow Wife and it completely lives up to the hype. This incredible story about Pheby weaves together fiction with historical research to tell the story of a slave who is in a position of relative safety on a plantation until she is unexpectedly thrown into the darkness of the slave trade and ends up at a jail infamous for punishing slaves. 

Pheby was raised by a kind, attentive mother who taught her that she is only a slave in her heart. Pheby keeps this close and passes on this mantra to her own children as they are born during her incredibly dark years. As the result of being pale and beautiful, Pheby garners the attention of the jailor. 

This story is about how even the "best" situations in slavery were terrible as were all the rest. It is about love and protecting your family, inspiring but not saccharine or dismissive of the terrors of the era. I really can't say enough good things about this book; pick it up as soon as you get the chance!