by Ilyon Woo
First published 2023
In 1848, Ellen and William Craft execute one of the most audacious escapes in American history. Ellen disguises herself as a wealthy, disabled white man while William pretends to be her slave. Together they travel over 1,000 miles from Georgia to the free states, riding steamboats, carriages, and trains in plain sight. They evade slave traders, military officers, and acquaintances who could expose them. Their successful flight makes them celebrities across New England, where they speak alongside Frederick Douglass and other abolitionist leaders. But the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act puts them back in danger. When slave hunters arrive from Georgia, the Crafts must flee again, this time leaving America entirely. Ilyon Woo reconstructs their three epic journeys through meticulous research, revealing how love sustained two people who risked everything for freedom and challenged America's promises of liberty and justice.
Genres: historical-fiction, 19th-century, african-american-historical-fiction, american-history
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Georgia, New England
Period: 1848, 1850
416 pages · Hardcover · Simon & Schuster
Content warnings: slavery