First published 2014
Dossie Bird arrives at Russell's Knob after fleeing slavery via the Underground Railroad. The New Jersey highlands community welcomes her with open arms. Black, white, and Native American families have intermarried here for generations, creating an unusual pocket of racial harmony in 1849 America. Duncan Smoot takes Dossie into his household, where she cooks, cleans, and cares for chickens while his sister Hattie runs her business and his two nephews cause trouble. Dossie wonders if Duncan, her older rescuer who seems almost godlike to her, expects marriage. She begins building a life in this imperfect but accepting place. Then violence shatters her newfound security. The attack forces Dossie to flee Russell's Knob and seek survival in New York City's brutal streets. Her journey becomes a test of resilience as she navigates a country torn by approaching civil war.
Genres: american-fiction, historical-fiction, 19th-century, african-american-historical-fiction
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: New Jersey, New York City, Russell's Knob
Period: 1849
ebook · Little Brown and Company
Content warnings: racism, slavery, violence