A review by jbmorgan86
Master Slave Husband Wife: An Epic Journey from Slavery to Freedom by Ilyon Woo
4.0
I heard about “Master Slave Husband Wife” on the GPB Podcast, “Narrative Edge.” I was surprised that as a U.S. History teacher and Georgia native that I had never heard the story of the Crafts.
In short, the story is basically this: a light skinned enslaved woman dresses up as an ill, white slave master, and her husband pretends to be her/his slave. They hide in plain sight as they take trains and ships from Macon, GA to Philadelphia, PA.
The actual getaway part of the story felt like a non-fiction thriller. However, this was only about the 1/3 of the book. The other 2/3 was a pretty dry treatment of the political context of the story. I’m not going to lie, it was kind of difficult to get through. However, I’m glad I did and think the book, overall, was worth the effort.
In short, the story is basically this: a light skinned enslaved woman dresses up as an ill, white slave master, and her husband pretends to be her/his slave. They hide in plain sight as they take trains and ships from Macon, GA to Philadelphia, PA.
The actual getaway part of the story felt like a non-fiction thriller. However, this was only about the 1/3 of the book. The other 2/3 was a pretty dry treatment of the political context of the story. I’m not going to lie, it was kind of difficult to get through. However, I’m glad I did and think the book, overall, was worth the effort.