Yellow Wife: A Novel - Sadeqa Johnson

When I think of the phrase ‘yellow wife’ I think of all the times my family called me ‘high yellow’ or ‘light-skinned like your father’ when referring to my skin and sometimes even referring to my attitude. Did this bring me lifelong trauma? No, it didn't. What it did do is make me hyper-aware of my privilege in the black community. It is ultimately what led me to check out this book and start reading it immediately. I would be lying if I said I was hooked right away–it took me a few days to embark on the journey fully because I was in a reading slump. But, by the fourth chapter, I was completely engaged and ended up devouring essentially the entire book in one evening.

Yellow Wife: A Novel by Sadeqa Johnson is the harrowing tale of Pheby Brown, a mixed white and black slave, and her life as the mistress of a brutal and unwavering man. In the book, Pheby used her half-white heritage to her advantage. While she was promised the life of a freed slave by her 18th birthday, her world comes crashing down when she finds those promises broken and shattered in the worst way possible. Even though this results in Pheby becoming the mistress of a brutal slave jailer, she makes the best of the situation. She coaxes and soothes her captor, and hides when it was necessary to survive.

There were many times in this book when I felt too empathetic toward the characters and had to clench my fists to keep from crying out. There was so much emotion involved when it comes to the people you love, and while I can’t speak for other cultures, I can say that protecting the ones you love is worth any sacrifice. I really felt for the main character with how she was so motivated by her love for her family. Another thing I could really identify with is the notion of being ‘yellow’ in black culture.

In black culture, the idea of being ‘high yellow’ refers to having half white and half black ancestry which results in a lighter skin tone. The meaning has evolved to refer to essentially any lighter-skinned black person and means that you carry certain privileges, such as being viewed as more ‘non-threatening’ or ‘white-assimilated’ Of course, we all know it is utter nonsense to look at someone’s skin and conclude that they are or are not threatening, but the reality is such. Additionally, some would like to believe there is no additional privilege with being a lighter-skinned BIPOC, however, there is. Such themes in this book that were based on events that happened almost two hundred years ago could still be a prevalent theme today in modern times.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves history, particularly anyone interested in slave history. This book was inspired by a true story, and you can find yourself in Pheby’s shoes, seeing the world through her eyes. Overall, one read is all you need to really appreciate the story Johnson tells as it is a story you will remember forever.

Article edited by Linsey Huddleston.