by Tiya Miles
First published 2024
Harriet Tubman stands as one of America's ten most recognizable figures, destined for the twenty dollar bill, yet public understanding rarely moves past superhero mythology. The woman who escaped slavery, conducted multiple rescue missions without losing a single person, and led the first military raid by an American woman often appears more legend than human being. National Book Award winner Tiya Miles strips away the comic book version to reveal the person beneath. Miles examines the ecological world Tubman navigated and connects her spiritual journey to other enslaved women who documented similar passages through wilderness both literal and metaphorical. The author moves beyond standard historical frameworks to place Tubman within the full context of her environment and community. What emerges is a figure whose mysticism becomes more tangible through deeper understanding, whose boundary crossing between inner and outer worlds offers guidance for contemporary struggles toward justice and sustainability.
Genres: 20th-century, american, african-american, 21st-century, 19th-century, african-american-historical-fiction, american-history
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: biographical, historical-fiction
Setting: America
Period: 19th-Century, 20th-Century
336 pages · Hardcover · Penguin Press
Content warnings: slavery