Master Slave Husband Wife: An Epic Journey from Slavery to Freedom
- Downloads：7600
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2023-12-01 13:21:33
- Update Date：2025-09-13
- Status：finish
- Author：Ilyon Woo
- ISBN：1501191063
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Kaileigh
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Very engaging， I particularly appreciated the exploration of the diverse and competing strains of abolitionist thought and activism。 Feels relevant to a lot of modern conflicts within the left。 The focal story is also very moving and cinematic。 The author leaves a lot to the imagination。 The reader is encouraged to try to interpret and understand the motivations and inner lives of Crafts and their associates， reminding us that even things written in their own words represent a public image that Very engaging， I particularly appreciated the exploration of the diverse and competing strains of abolitionist thought and activism。 Feels relevant to a lot of modern conflicts within the left。 The focal story is also very moving and cinematic。 The author leaves a lot to the imagination。 The reader is encouraged to try to interpret and understand the motivations and inner lives of Crafts and their associates， reminding us that even things written in their own words represent a public image that they were compelled to create。 While this book has some positive academic qualities in terms of it's careful accuracy， it manages to be a quick read because the story and characters are so compelling。 。。。more
Natalie
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This story is compelling and important， and the writing is excellent。 I just wish the last third hadn't been so drawn out。 This story is compelling and important， and the writing is excellent。 I just wish the last third hadn't been so drawn out。 。。。more
Mary Ann
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DNF。 I just couldn’t get into it。 Too many characters & too much like a documentary。
Jayne
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4。5
Rochelle Goren
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I did not enjoy reading this book， so it took me a long time to get through it。 It had too much detail of names， places， etc。 I forced myself to finish this book because it was my book club book of the month and I wanted to be part of the discussion。This book would probably be a good reading assignment for a history course dealing with America in the 19th century。
Emily
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Excellent historical account， but overly detailed and long for the storyline。
Sharon Rhodes
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I loved this book until about half way through。 Though the author has certainly done research it got extremely dry and boring to wade through the political history。
Blaire Malkin
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4。5 stars。 I had never heard the Craft’s story before reading this book。 I’m surprised it’s not a more well-known narrative。 Ellen and William escape enslavement in Macon Georgia by going in disguise but in plain sight。 Ellen who is very light skinned is able to pass as a white man with William posing as her enslaved servant。 The story also incorporates the stories of other fugitives and abolitionists。 Totally fascinated by their story and how the author was able to write it based on original so 4。5 stars。 I had never heard the Craft’s story before reading this book。 I’m surprised it’s not a more well-known narrative。 Ellen and William escape enslavement in Macon Georgia by going in disguise but in plain sight。 Ellen who is very light skinned is able to pass as a white man with William posing as her enslaved servant。 The story also incorporates the stories of other fugitives and abolitionists。 Totally fascinated by their story and how the author was able to write it based on original sources and contemporaneous accounts。 。。。more
Aaryn
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Fantastic narrative nonfiction about the escape of an enslaved married couple。
Marilyn K Orlos
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A recounting of the powerful story of Ellen and William Craft who escaped from slavery。 For those who believe slavery was beneficial for the enslaved and a benign institution， they should read this book。
Jennifer
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Wow。 Just wow。 I’m heartbroken that I didn’t know this story until now。 It is clear that Ilyon Woo did expansive research and painstakingly pieced together this story within a context of what was going on outside of just the couple’s journey。 It was fascinating to read and I’m grateful to know this story。 It gave me a greater understanding of the historical context of the years leading up to the Civil War， as well as the attitudes of northern citizens in particular…well done！ So well-written！
Casey
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Quite a gripping tale in this audiobook， especially the first half， as they made their escape through the South in disguise。 The second half continued their story， some parts exciting and some merely interesting， and also brought the reader up to the time of the Civil War （which was barely mentioned） and beyond。 Many historical figures were included， such as Frederick Douglass， Lady Byron， and Daniel Webster。I liked the way the author filled in gaps in the sparse record by saying， for example， " Quite a gripping tale in this audiobook， especially the first half， as they made their escape through the South in disguise。 The second half continued their story， some parts exciting and some merely interesting， and also brought the reader up to the time of the Civil War （which was barely mentioned） and beyond。 Many historical figures were included， such as Frederick Douglass， Lady Byron， and Daniel Webster。I liked the way the author filled in gaps in the sparse record by saying， for example， "As she entered the house， she may have seen the life-sized portrait of。。。" which helped paint the surroundings without straying into fiction。One memorable passage: when William went to West Africa at the （now） country of Benin hoping to reduce the slave trade among the locals， he was paid for his work in chained slaves！ Slaves he promptly freed， of course， though it left him unpaid and broke。Before this book， I knew nothing about this couple。Recommended！ 。。。more
Marlene
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An excellent and informative non-fiction account of the husband and wife who escaped slavery。 I learned so much about the institution of slavery and the work of people who helped runaway slaves escape。
Melissa
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I was surprised while reading this how many times the reality of human ownership rocked me。 People on both sides of the main Dixon line argued that the preservation of the union was best served by black people remaining in their station， even when they observed first hand it's horrors。 To that Ellen Craft said， "you first。"PSA I work in the human trafficking industry and this flesh sale hasn't ceased， only mutated。 Except now we struggle with blaming the victim。 I was surprised while reading this how many times the reality of human ownership rocked me。 People on both sides of the main Dixon line argued that the preservation of the union was best served by black people remaining in their station， even when they observed first hand it's horrors。 To that Ellen Craft said， "you first。"PSA I work in the human trafficking industry and this flesh sale hasn't ceased， only mutated。 Except now we struggle with blaming the victim。 。。。more
Ivy
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DNF。 3 WEEKS…。26%。
Clay
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Fascinating story that gets a bit lost in the minutia。 Well worth your time。
Martha Anne Toll
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Here's my review for NPR's Books We Love: https://apps。npr。org/best-books/#year。。。 Here's my review for NPR's Books We Love: https://apps。npr。org/best-books/#year。。。 。。。more
Kristi
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The story of the Crafts was interesting， but this book was dry。
Donna Bijas
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My 5 star review disappeared。 Suffice it to say I was on the edge of my seat reading this non-fiction book。
Amy
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Hard to believe that this story got lost to history- when I started this read， I figured that they didn't make publicity of their escape。 Boy was I shocked to learn otherwise。 How did such massive publicity and such a huge story get lost？Also a HUGE connection to Boston。 I grew up in the Boston suburbs and knew nothing of Boston's abolitionist history。 Reading this was really eye opening （and sheds some light on Boston's continuing issues with subtle （and not so subtle） racism）。Wow， a HUGE conne Hard to believe that this story got lost to history- when I started this read， I figured that they didn't make publicity of their escape。 Boy was I shocked to learn otherwise。 How did such massive publicity and such a huge story get lost？Also a HUGE connection to Boston。 I grew up in the Boston suburbs and knew nothing of Boston's abolitionist history。 Reading this was really eye opening （and sheds some light on Boston's continuing issues with subtle （and not so subtle） racism）。Wow， a HUGE connection to Boston。 I grew up in the Boston suburbs and knew nothing of Boston's abolitionist history。 Reading this was really eye opening （and sheds some light on Boston's continuing issues with subtle （and not so subtle） racism）。 。。。more
Mary
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3。5 stars。 I had never heard of Ellen and William Craft and I’m so grateful for the opportunity to learn about their incredible quest to gain their freedom。 Woo has done a tremendous amount of research and wove small details of their struggle into the larger story of a nation battling for its identity。 Unfortunately， the inconsistent pacing was a problem for me。
Susie Chocolate
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I listened 🎧 to the audio of this book which had both female and male actors reading it which broke it up nicely。I had seen this one the best selling biography and history book on the shelves of my local bookstore and I have read and like to read about the horrors of Slavery in the United States because we need to know and continue to learn about it。 We must bear witness because it is a huge scar on the US’s history that must always be remembered。 The same way those of Jewish descent don’t let u I listened 🎧 to the audio of this book which had both female and male actors reading it which broke it up nicely。I had seen this one the best selling biography and history book on the shelves of my local bookstore and I have read and like to read about the horrors of Slavery in the United States because we need to know and continue to learn about it。 We must bear witness because it is a huge scar on the US’s history that must always be remembered。 The same way those of Jewish descent don’t let us forget about the Holocaust， we Americans must never forget about slavery and what we did with bringing over black people in bornage from Africa and enslaving them and what we did to the Native Americans。 This subjugation of other humans based on their skin color you would think is done with now and many whitewash the story to make it seem like we all live now， harmoniously side by side but if you read the papers and follow the news， you can see， daily the racism that continues to be part of our lives and particularly the treatment of young black men。 This story isn’t just about Ellen and William Craft who ran North and away from their enslavers in the South， she being of light skin， dressed as a young man and her dark husband travelled under the disguise of her slave。 Ellen was light skinned because， like so so many enslaved black women， her mother was a slave that had had a baby with the white master that owned her。 Let me state here that there is no way that the interlude that ended up with the mother being impregnated was definitely not consensual as some books lay it out to be。 How could intimacy happen between two people where one is literally called « Master » and the other person is « owned » by the master and seen as a piece of his property。 In fact， when a master listed out the contents of his estate， the number of slaves he has was listed along with how many of each animal he had！Interspersed throughout the story of the Crafts settling in the North and then abroad in England is a lot of history about the abolitionist movement and mentions the big players of that movement。 The juxtaposition of a life of bondage in the South versus the free black man in the north was striking。 Both a history lesson， a biography and a book about the black experience from 1849 including the runaway slave act of 1850， the civil war and the abolition of slavery this is a big story which humanizes and gives names to so many who fought hard to change the laws。 。。。more
John Kennedy
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Woo， in a you-are-there writing style rich in detail， frankly discusses the ugliest details of antebellum slavery， such as the churchgoing slave owner having no qualms about splitting up a Black family or impregnating a slave -- whose child also becomes his property。Such was the fate of Ellen Craft， a "quadroon" fathered by James Smith with Ellen's enslaved mother Maria。 Smith gave the 11-year-old slave away as a wedding present to his "legitimate" daughter。 Ellen became a seamstress and receive Woo， in a you-are-there writing style rich in detail， frankly discusses the ugliest details of antebellum slavery， such as the churchgoing slave owner having no qualms about splitting up a Black family or impregnating a slave -- whose child also becomes his property。Such was the fate of Ellen Craft， a "quadroon" fathered by James Smith with Ellen's enslaved mother Maria。 Smith gave the 11-year-old slave away as a wedding present to his "legitimate" daughter。 Ellen became a seamstress and received permission to marry another slave， William， who worked as a furniture maker on another plantation。"Master Slave Husband Wife" tells the couple's tense story of their 1848 escape， with the light-skinned Ellen successfully posing as the owner of her much darker husband。 They survived several close calls on an unprecedented 1，000-mile journey to New England， primarily by train and ship， in full view of many slave owners。From their base in Boston， Ellen became the first self-emancipated woman public speaker from the South。 She and William wanted to arouse Northerners out of their apathy toward the nation's "peculiar institution。" However， the federally mandated Fugitive Slave Act passed as part of the Compromise of 1850， empowered slavers to enter Northern States and recapture freed Blacks。 In fact， slave catchers earned $5 even if they snatched the wrong person， someone who may never have been a slave。 Everyone from Secretary of State Daniel Webster to President Millard Fillmore said the Fugitive Slave Act needed to be upheld at all costs， only delaying the inevitable Civil War。Through great storytelling， Woo recounts the Crafts narrowly escaping capture around Massachusetts。 Two hundred friends， Black and white， vowed to fight for the Crafts to the death to prevent their capture。Ultimately， the couple moved to England for 20 years before returning to the U。S。， where they opened an agricultural and educational cooperative for former slaves。 。。。more
Suzanne
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A fantastic story， riveting in its audacity: a light skinned female slave poses as a wealthy white man and travels north with her slave （lover and husband）。 That they pulled it off amid many tests along the way was extraordinary。 （Even， humorously， attracting a young white woman， who said she'd never felt so much for a man before。） Once they arrive north， there is not a Hollywood ending， which could be why the story is not better known。 They make it， but still have a long hard path through the r A fantastic story， riveting in its audacity: a light skinned female slave poses as a wealthy white man and travels north with her slave （lover and husband）。 That they pulled it off amid many tests along the way was extraordinary。 （Even， humorously， attracting a young white woman， who said she'd never felt so much for a man before。） Once they arrive north， there is not a Hollywood ending， which could be why the story is not better known。 They make it， but still have a long hard path through the rest of their lives。 Since they are very out once north， they are championed by abolitionists， but are also targets for slave catchers。 Really interesting story well told。 。。。more
Abigail Melchior
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This historical narrative nonfiction tells the story of married couple， Ellen and William Craft， and their unique escape from slavery in Macon， Georgia in the winter of 1848。 Ellen， who was light-skinned， dressed as a man and pretended to be William's master as they traveled north to freedom。 Author Ilyon Woo tells the tale of their bold journey and the exceptional lives they risked everything to live。 This book has been nominated for the 2024 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in nonfiction a This historical narrative nonfiction tells the story of married couple， Ellen and William Craft， and their unique escape from slavery in Macon， Georgia in the winter of 1848。 Ellen， who was light-skinned， dressed as a man and pretended to be William's master as they traveled north to freedom。 Author Ilyon Woo tells the tale of their bold journey and the exceptional lives they risked everything to live。 This book has been nominated for the 2024 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in nonfiction and is absolutely worthy of the distinction。 It is also popping up on many "Best of 2023" lists。 I would definitely recommend it for all readers interested in the history of slavery， abolitionists， emancipation， and civil rights in America and Europe。 It is an original and valuable addition to the literature on this subject。Thank you to Simon & Schuster for gifting me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Lorri Steinbacher
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Woo does a great job of weaving primary source information into a compelling narrative that hits all the historical highlights。
Samuel S Hartwell
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This is a remarkable book telling an important and remarkable story that is overshadowed to a significant degree by the quality of the writing （hence my three star review）。 The story itself - of enslaved people making a daring escape， their involvement with the abolition movement， and the impact of the Fugitive Slave Law - is compelling: five stars。 However， the book reads as if it were written by an earnest college first year trying to impress。 The combination of florid prose， bad diction， poor This is a remarkable book telling an important and remarkable story that is overshadowed to a significant degree by the quality of the writing （hence my three star review）。 The story itself - of enslaved people making a daring escape， their involvement with the abolition movement， and the impact of the Fugitive Slave Law - is compelling: five stars。 However， the book reads as if it were written by an earnest college first year trying to impress。 The combination of florid prose， bad diction， poor organization， and unhelpful parenthetical detours made reading it difficult at times: so difficult that I almost put it down on multiple occasions。 The book would have benefited enormously from the services of an aggressive editor wielding a very sharp pen。 。。。more
Jim
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William and Ellen Craft staged one of the most remarkable flights to freedom prior to the Civil War， and their story remains hidden and not well known。 Ilyon Woo's book attempts to correct that record with the fabulously told story in Master Slave Husband Wife。 The challenge of writing such a story is a true lack of first hand accounts， and stories with gaps of knowledge。 Woo successfully handles that challenge by writing what she knows， pairing some parts with common sense connections。 William William and Ellen Craft staged one of the most remarkable flights to freedom prior to the Civil War， and their story remains hidden and not well known。 Ilyon Woo's book attempts to correct that record with the fabulously told story in Master Slave Husband Wife。 The challenge of writing such a story is a true lack of first hand accounts， and stories with gaps of knowledge。 Woo successfully handles that challenge by writing what she knows， pairing some parts with common sense connections。 William and Ellen come across as bravely intelligent and intentional with their actions。 Towards the end， the story slows a bit as the record becomes scarce。 。。。more
Afsi
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An interesting read that could have and should have been half its length。 It would be nice if authors would stick to the story and not take so many tangents into discussions of the political climate of the time， and all the many many peripheral characters who’s back stories took up pages instead of paragraphs。
Mary
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