Reviews with content warning for Slavery - Master Slave Husband Wife: An Epic Journey from Slavery to Freedom

Reviews tagging 'Slavery'

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

18 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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leslie_overbookedsocialworker's review against another edition

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adventurous informative inspiring medium-paced

5.0

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skylar2's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative inspiring fast-paced

5.0

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lucyatoz's review against another edition

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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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