Under the Tulip Tree

by Michelle Shocklee

We have all heard it: it is important for us to know history so we don’t repeat the mistakes of the past. Michelle Shocklee does that in her novel Under the Tulip Tree. We get a view of slavery through the eyes of Lorena (Rena), an aspiring writer, who struggles to pursue her career in a male dominated society. She is sixteen when the stock market crashes and her privileged life changes forever. Seven years later she accepts a job with the Federal Writer’s Project (FWP) and meets Frankie who at 101 years old has a horrendous story to tell about what life was like for her and for others who were slaves.

The impact of someone being owned by another person is a concept that is hard for Rena to get her head around. The atrocities that Frankie shares are heartbreaking—even more so when you realize these things are drawn from actual events as told to FWP workers who were employed by the government to interview former slaves and record their stories for posterity.

What makes this story especially impactful is that Rena is telling this story from the viewpoint of a young White woman during the Great Depression. Although slaves had been freed, Blacks still did not enjoy equal rights. From sitting at the back of the bus, to lower pay, to being treated as dirty and ignorant, Blacks suffered from discrimination. Some Whites treated Blacks that way just because they could—acts of control and power. Some Whites treated Blacks that way because they were raised with that mindset, a deep cultural fear and hatred of someone who was different or because their own families had been mistreated by the Feds during and after the Civil War.

Rena’s father was a banker who fell apart after the crash. With her grandmother’s help, her family stayed afloat with both Rena and her mother getting jobs. Employment outside the home was something that was not acceptable for “their kind.” Rena’s mother was especially class conscious and worried about what her gossiping neighbors and former friends would say about Rena consorting with Blacks in Hell’s Half Acre where Frankie lived in a well-kept, small home boasting a beautiful floral garden and an outhouse.

As Frankie tells her story to Rena, the reader is quickly tied into the cruelty of the drama taking place in the book, and it becomes a page turner. It is harder to connect with Rena, but she grows as a person and becomes someone with the potential to do good. You can’t tell a story like this without pondering how a good God can allow bad things to happen. Frankie understandably harbors a lot of hate in her heart, but God works gently on her by bringing Illa, a Quaker woman, and Sam, a former slave, into her life, each encouraging, challenging and helping her.

Shocklee is a masterful storyteller, evoking empathy for 7 year old Frankie and embedding her into the heart of the reader. She shares the difficulties Frankie endured throughout her life without bearing down on graphic details. The author also dives into the “contraband” camp where Frankie lived for three years, still nominally a slave but under the protection of the Federal soldiers. Then she paints a picture of the horrors of war and its aftermath. As we learn about this part of history, we also see how citizens, both Black and White, were faring during the Great Depression. There are several surprising events at the end of this tale that help to bring closure for the characters and the reader.

There is a strong spiritual theme in Under the Tulip Tree. Frankie’s mother, Mammy, is a Christian believer, and although separated from each other early in Frankie’s life, Frankie never forgets her mother’s faith. Another important theme is literacy. Slaves were not allowed to learn to read. It was clear to the masters that slaves who could read could not be controlled as easily. Therefore books were forbidden. Frankie initially wanted very much to read, but the consequences were too great, robbing her of that desire. Standing up for what is right, for the downtrodden, for yourself against the power of the group in control is also a recurrent theme. All of these and many others remain ideas we wrestle with in our current society. On the positive side, we see the strength to be found in literacy, in trusting in God despite the circumstances, in the power in the Word of God, and in love for others—even our enemies.

Rating: 5/5

Category: Historical Fiction, Christian

Notes: 1. My personal thoughts in response to Under the Tulip Tree:
—The problem is not addressed in this book; but, sadly, slavery/human trafficking is widespread all over the world today. It is a major problem in the U.S.
—We make quick assumptions every day about other people based on where they come from, how they look and talk, and so many other factors. People, Black and White, did that in the book, and we still do it today.

2. Original stories collected by WPA are available online from several sources. One is sponsored by Rice University: https://libguides.rice.edu/c.php?g=1231494&p=9012494
3. Discussion questions are included in the back of the book.

Publication: 2020—Tyndale

Memorable Lines:

[Rena]: “People like me, like my family, we don’t know much about what slaves experienced. I’ve never heard of children being beaten with no one held accountable, or being forced into labor at the age of seven. Even though slavery isn’t legal anymore, I believe it’s important to remember the past as it truly was, not as we wish it to be.”

[Frankie]: “Helplessness washed over me, and I hated myself for it. Ever since the day I was sold away from Mammy, I’d despised helplessness. When overseers beat me and chased me down like an animal, I’d been helpless. When men used my body for their own pleasure and babies died, I’d been helpless to prevent it from happening. But the one thing I’d fought to maintain control over was my emotions. No one could force me to love or hate. They were mine to decide. I wasn’t about to allow this white woman to steal that away from me, no matter her attentive ministrations.”

[Sam]: “Don’t you see, Frankie? The day I landed on Miz Annabelle’s doorstep changed my life. I thought I found freedom when I ran away from my master, but it weren’t mine. Not yet. Freedom comes in knowing the truth of God. He loves each of us the same. He loves you, Frankie.”