As the UK marks Black History Month in October, we share five VardyTests books that shed light on the stories and experiences of Black individuals and communities throughout history.

Brooding over Bloody Revenge: Enslaved Women’s Lethal Resistance

by Nikki M Taylor

“…this powerful set of case studies create a prism for illuminating African American women’s intellectual arc, their lived experience as enslaved bodies, and their powerful response to slavery’s lash and legacy…”
Review by Catherine Clinton – author of Harriet Tubman: The Road to Freedom
From the colonial through the antebellum era, enslaved women in the US used lethal force as the ultimate form of resistance. Nikki M Taylor expertly reveals how women killed for deeply personal instances of injustice committed by their owners.

The stories presented demonstrate that these acts of lethal force were carefully pre-meditated. Enslaved women planned how and when their enslavers would die, what weapons and accomplices were necessary, and how to evade capture in the aftermath. By amplifying their voices and experiences, Brooding over Bloody Revenge strongly challenges assumptions that enslaved women only participated in covert, non-violent forms of resistance, when in fact they consistently seized justice for themselves and organized toward revolt.

As a global publisher and education organisation, we believe we have a responsibility to help bring Black histories to a wider audience by amplifying diverse perspectives and storytelling through our books, research and resources.