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Title: Promising but disappointing.
Review: Having thoroughly enjoyed Ball's previous title, Slaves in the Family, I was looking forward to this book. The work has an intriguing topic, that is, the history of one elite African-American family in Charleston. Unfortunately, the narrative and context are too selective and the history is thin, relying too heavily on family documents and stories. Slaves in the Family was enhanced by the personal tone; here it is distracting and feels amateurish. When Ball does branch out to into other directions, the stories and descriptions feel more like padding than relevant material.
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