By Kavita Mistry
by Cathryn Conroy (Dublin, Ohio): Extraordinary. Stupendous. Masterful. This is one of those history books that reads like a thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat even though I knew the outcome. To be able to write a page-turner history book says so much about the talents of author Ilyon Woo.
Beginning in December 1848, this is the true story of William and Ellen Craft, married slaves in Macon, Georgia, who in four days planned a most daring escape—something that belonged on the pages of a novel, not printed later as fact in newspapers. Ellen’s skin color was so pale that she routinely passed for white. She was a small woman, while her husband was quite tall and dark-complected. The plan was masterful: Ellen, a talented seamstress, would dress as a wealthy young man in clothing she mostly made herself so it would fit. William, a skilled cabinetmaker, would be her trusted slave. She required his services because she feigned illness—her arm in a sling and her face partially covered with a scarf. She walked with a limp and leaned on William. The ruse was a trip to Philadelphia where physicians there might heal her. It took years, but the two had saved enough money for the trip, which required travel by train and ship, as well as walking. But it wasn’t enough to look the part. For this bold plan to succeed, Ellen had to act and talk like a man—without ever slipping up.
William and Ellen Craft escaped slavery by hiding in plain sight.
How they pulled off this stunning feat while at so many times along their journey they could have been caught in this monstrous lie and returned to face horrific punishment, is what makes this such a thriller. And once they safely made it out of the South, they told their story. It was so extraordinary that it was picked up by newspapers, and that meant the folks back home in Macon found out what happened to these two missing slaves. The enslavers weren’t happy about it and meant to get their property back. The thriller continues.
While this reads like a novel, author Ilyon Woo is quick to point out that every description, quotation, and line of dialogue comes from historic sources, including the Crafts’ own written account of their quest for freedom. Find out the backstory of their enslavers, why the Crafts chose to escape when they did, and the small details that allowed them to pull it off, as well as the times when they almost failed. And even when the Crafts were safely in Boston, the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 meant that anyone at any time could kidnap them and send them back to Macon. Danger stalked them at every turn; they were no longer safe anywhere in the United States. Best of all, find out about the life they created for themselves after they self-emancipated.
This exceptional book, the 2024 winner of the Pulitzer Prize in Biography, is truly an epic—a captivating and compelling story of true courage and an unshakable faith in God.