Publisher Description
The Underground Railroad was the passage to freedom for many slaves, but it was rife with dangers. While there were dedicated conductors and safe houses, there were also arduous nights in the mountains and days in threatening towns. For those who made it to Midnight, the code name given to Detroit, the Detroit River became their Jordan. And Canada became their "land of Canaan," the Promised Land where they could live freely in various black settlements under the protection of British law. One of these settlements was known as Dawn.
In prose rich in detail and imagery, From Midnight to Dawn presents compelling portraits of the men and women who established the Railroad and the people who traveled it to find new lives in Canada. Some of the figures are well known, like Harriet Tubman and John Brown. But there are equally heroic, less familiar figures here as well, like William Parker, who fought off a group of whites determined to reenslave him. Parker resettled in Canada, learned how to read and write, and recounted his story as a slave narrative.
From Midnight to Dawn evokes the turmoil and controversies of the time, including the furor over the publication of Uncle Tom's Cabin, congressional confrontations in Washington, and fierce disputes among black settlers in Canada over whether they should ask for money from abolitionists or strive to be self-supporting. An extraordinary examination of a part of American history, From Midnight to Dawn will captivate readers with its tales of hope and courage.
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“This is a fascinating look at the shared history of the abolitionist movement and development of freedmen settlements between the U.S and Canada.”
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Booklist
About the Authors
Jacqueline Tobin is the author of Hidden in Plain View: A Secret Story of Quilts and the Underground Railroad and The Tao of Women. She is on the adjunct faculty at the University of Denver, where she teaches courses in writing and research. She has spent the last fifteen years researching and writing on African American Civil War history and uncovering untold stories. Jacqueline lives in Denver with her husband, Stewart, and her dog, Sheba. She has two grown children, Alex and Jasmine, and a son in law, Patrick.
Hettie Jones’s seventeen books include How I Became Hettie Jones, a memoir of the “Beat Scene”; the poetry collection Drive, which won the Poetry Society of America’s 1999 Norma Farber Award; Big Star Fallin’ Mama (Five Women in Black Music); and No Woman, No Cry, a memoir with Bob Marley’s widow, Rita. Jones’s short prose and poetry have appeared in the Village Voice, the Washington Post, and elsewhere. She lives in New York City, where she teaches writing at the New School and the 92nd Street Y Poetry Center.
About Richard Allen
Richard Allen is an accomplished and respected theatrical actor whose work includes Ragtime and PBS’ Great Performances: Play On! His voice can be heard on numerous television and radio productions, as well as the animated series Jumanji. Allen is also the winner of seven AudioFile Earphones Awards.