Book & podcast collection

Master Slave Husband Wife: An Epic Journey from Slavery to Freedom

byIlyon Woo

Ilyon Woo recounts the daring 1848 escape of Ellen and William Craft from slavery in Georgia. Light-skinned Ellen disguised herself as a wealthy, disabled white man traveling for medical treatment, while William posed as her enslaved attendant. Their journey by train and steamship required improvisation through repeated encounters with officials and strangers. After reaching freedom, the Crafts became celebrated abolitionists but remained threatened by the Fugitive Slave Act. Woo follows their transatlantic lives, presenting their marriage, performance, courage, and pursuit of autonomy as an epic challenge to slavery's legal and social order.

Publisher

Simon & Schuster

Publication date

2023

Format

Print edition

Pages

—

ISBN

9781501191053