Reviews tagging 'Racism'

Master Slave Husband Wife: An Epic Journey from Slavery to Freedom by Ilyon Woo

15 reviews

nadia's review against another edition

adventurous informative medium-paced

4.5

What an incredible historical work! I'd once heard this story years ago in an episode of the Criminal podcast, but I couldn't remember the details. The first part of this book read so much like a novel: I was gripped, tense, scared, on the edge of the seat...then we lost that narrative pull at some point. Still, I remained super engaged and the level of detail was amazing, without getting too bogged down, though there were a lot of people to keep track of! Anyway, I've learnt so much and it's wild that this story isn't more widely known in the US. Hopefully more people read this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Slavery

yoursisterscanary's review

dark emotional informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, and Trafficking

leslie_overbookedsocialworker's review against another edition

adventurous informative inspiring medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery

Moderate: Hate crime and Racism

lucyatoz's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.0

Master Slave Husband Wife: An Epic Journey from Slavery to Freedom by Ilyon Woo tells the incredible story of William and Ellen Craft, as they go from bondage in Macon, Georgia to sharing the lecturing circuit with William Wells Brown in the Northern free states. 

For their journey across the United States of America, they travelled in plain sight as a disabled young gentleman and his black slave on steamships, trains and carriages, all the while managing to evade the people and authorities who would want them returned to slavery. Their own self-belief and skills, William as a woodworker and Ellen as a seamstress and favourite house slave to her owner, enable them to escape, although not without danger to themselves and those they loved. 

Even in the free Northern states, they are not out of danger, they are not truly free, and have to journey onwards to England, where although free, they encounter a different set of challenges. 

It is an amazing story of self-emancipation and gives a great insight into their story. It also gives space for the political and societal landscape of the time, which was, at times, quite dry, but did help with understanding of the context of William and Ellen's escape.   

I borrowed a copy of this book from my local library and listened to it on cloudLibrary. I read this for prompt "never gonna give you up" for the 52 Book Club mini challenge April 2024.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Slavery

Moderate: Child death, Miscarriage, Rape, and Violence

flygonjinn's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Slavery

lcg527's review

adventurous challenging informative sad tense medium-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Racism, and Slavery

mugsandmanuscripts's review

adventurous emotional inspiring tense medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Slavery

Moderate: Miscarriage

lexcellent's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Slavery

Moderate: Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

silvernfire's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful informative inspiring

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Racism, Slavery, and Violence

Moderate: Torture

Minor: Child death

author_d_r_oestreicher's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring sad medium-paced

5.0

 

Master Slave Husband Wife by Ilyon Woo starts in 1848 when Ellen and William Craft self-emancipate themselves from Macon, Georgia. To escape from Macon, Ellen disguises herself as a “sick, rich, White young man—a most respectable-looking gentleman,” and William accompanies her as her slave. In Boston, they run into northern racism and the Fugitive Slave Act. “This work is not fictionalized.” “The absence of a happy ending may partly explain why the Crafts are not better known.” Why no happy ending? The book opens with the Fugitive Slave Act and closes with Jim Crow. 

 

For my extended notes: https://1book42day.blogspot.com/2024/01/master-slave-husband-wife-by-ilyon-woo.html 

“As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.” 

Check out https://amzn.to/3vfHVqc to see my books. 

Check out https://amazon.com/shop/influencer-20171115075 for book recommendations. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Torture, Colonisation, and War