- Hardcover: 296 pages
- Publisher: McClelland & Stewart (Jan 6 2009)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0771071256
- ISBN-13: 978-0771071256
- Product Dimensions: 16 x 2.8 x 23.5 cm
- Shipping Weight: 544 g
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #309,702 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
Quill & Quire
Describing the life of slaves in the antebellum U.S. is a monumental task. Bryan Prince, a Canadian descendant of slaves, tackles the subject by telling the true story of a single family: the Weemses of Montgomery County, Maryland. This personal approach allows Prince to draw a vivid and intimate portrait of love amidst constant uncertainty. The story is filled with both tragedy and joy. Patriarch John, already a free man, is confronted with the worst situation possible when the owner of his wife and children dies and they are sold to various buyers. Desperate to save them, John embarks on a fundraising mission across the U.S. and all the way to England. Because of the size of the Weems clan – 10 children in total – we learn about some of the different avenues to freedom: individual slaves could be bought through fundraising efforts (although abolitionists did not like the fact that the chief benefactor was the slave owner himself), while others escaped on the Underground Railroad, where the amount of money and organization involved was truly staggering. Prince approaches his subject by telling not only the story of each family member’s individual path to freedom, but also the story of many others peripherally involved with their struggle. Keeping the various figures in the book straight becomes tedious after a while. The narrative is fast-paced and well written, but readers seeking a dispassionate study will be disappointed. There is no analysis of slavery’s historical and economic context; instead, the author expounds on the immorality of those who participated in the practice. This may be self-evident from a 21st-century perspective, but it does nothing to help a reader understand how and why slavery persisted in the U.S. for so long. A Shadow on the Household is an interesting story of a dedicated, loving family, but as a history of a time and place, it suffers from an excess of anachronistic sentiments. Prince could have better illustrated both the horrors of slavery and joys of freedom by allowing the Weems family’s experience to speak for itself.
Review
“A work with the breadth and depth of a historical epic. . . . At times, it’s easy to forget that A Shadow on the Household is a work of history, and not fiction. Often, the text has the heightened drama of a detective narrative, with villains and heroes, and people working against the clock, against unimaginable odds. . . . a gripping and comprehensive historical investigation that will draw you in and make you think.”
– Montreal Gazette
“Prince's concrete details of a desperate time and place bring the family fiercely to life. It is a superb piece of scholarship.”
– Globe and Mail
“[A] compelling work of popular history . . . Extensive details and background make for chilling and gut-rending reading. . . . Accounts such as this people's history remind us of our inhumanity, but also of the good that devotion and commitment can achieve.”
– Winnipeg Free Press
“Prince, a Buxton-area farmer and a descendant of slaves, clearly possesses a remarkable understanding of the history of the subject he has written about. A Shadow on the Household is an unrelenting triumph; a glowing, exhaustively researched and utterly sincere work that demonstrates how tight family ties can be. Outstanding.”
– SCENE magazine
“What a fascinating story! With prodigious research, a fine eye for detail, and a deep respect for a family who endured the most painful trauma under the slave system that governed their lives, Bryan Prince brings the dramatic tale of Arabella and John Weems and their nine children to life. Prince is an accomplished storyteller.”
– Karolyn Smardz Frost, Governor General’s Award-winning author of I’ve Got a Home in Glory Land
“The powerful drama of the Weems family’s pursuit of freedom is beautifully and hauntingly retold here through Bryan Prince’s remarkable storytelling skill. A Shadow on the Household is an extraordinary tale of the powerful bonds of family that even slavery and forced separation could not destroy. . . . A Shadow on the Household is a story of heroes and villains, of joy and pain, and ultimately a salute to real freedom fighters. A must read.”
– Kate Clifford Larson, Ph.D., author of Bound For the Promised Land: Harriet Tubman, Portrait of an American Hero
“A Shadow on the Household contrasts slavery’s insidious and cruel assault on the black family with the Weems family’s unflagging, courageous, heartbreaking and exhilarating struggle to free each and every member of the family. A Shadow on the Household is a must read for the steadily growing number of people who know history is far more exciting and complex than the watered-down version we’ve long been offered.”
– Mary Kay Ricks, author of Escape on the Pearl: the Heroic Bid for Freedom on the Underground Railroad
– Montreal Gazette
“Prince's concrete details of a desperate time and place bring the family fiercely to life. It is a superb piece of scholarship.”
– Globe and Mail
“[A] compelling work of popular history . . . Extensive details and background make for chilling and gut-rending reading. . . . Accounts such as this people's history remind us of our inhumanity, but also of the good that devotion and commitment can achieve.”
– Winnipeg Free Press
“Prince, a Buxton-area farmer and a descendant of slaves, clearly possesses a remarkable understanding of the history of the subject he has written about. A Shadow on the Household is an unrelenting triumph; a glowing, exhaustively researched and utterly sincere work that demonstrates how tight family ties can be. Outstanding.”
– SCENE magazine
“What a fascinating story! With prodigious research, a fine eye for detail, and a deep respect for a family who endured the most painful trauma under the slave system that governed their lives, Bryan Prince brings the dramatic tale of Arabella and John Weems and their nine children to life. Prince is an accomplished storyteller.”
– Karolyn Smardz Frost, Governor General’s Award-winning author of I’ve Got a Home in Glory Land
“The powerful drama of the Weems family’s pursuit of freedom is beautifully and hauntingly retold here through Bryan Prince’s remarkable storytelling skill. A Shadow on the Household is an extraordinary tale of the powerful bonds of family that even slavery and forced separation could not destroy. . . . A Shadow on the Household is a story of heroes and villains, of joy and pain, and ultimately a salute to real freedom fighters. A must read.”
– Kate Clifford Larson, Ph.D., author of Bound For the Promised Land: Harriet Tubman, Portrait of an American Hero
“A Shadow on the Household contrasts slavery’s insidious and cruel assault on the black family with the Weems family’s unflagging, courageous, heartbreaking and exhilarating struggle to free each and every member of the family. A Shadow on the Household is a must read for the steadily growing number of people who know history is far more exciting and complex than the watered-down version we’ve long been offered.”
– Mary Kay Ricks, author of Escape on the Pearl: the Heroic Bid for Freedom on the Underground Railroad
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
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5.0 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
An amazing true story of a family fiercely resisting the cruelties thrust upon it, Mar 13 2009
By Midwest Book Review - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: A Shadow on the Household: One Enslaved Family's Incredible Struggle for Freedom (Hardcover)
A Shadow on the Household: One Enslaved Family's Incredible Struggle for Freedom is the true-life story of a family of slaves - John Weems, his wife Arabella, and their seven children - who were divided up among the heirs of slaveowner Adam Robb when he died. Distraught at the dissolution of his family, Weems resolved to buy his family from the slave traders before they were taken into the Deep South. As news of the Weems family tragedy spread, it raised awareness of the plight of divided slave families in both Britain and the United States, lighting a fire under the press and in the consciences of American citizens. Some of the Weems family took their freedom into their own hands, and dared to escape and evade slave catchers rather than wait for rescue; one daughter even learned to dress, walk, and act like a boy as a disguise. An amazing true story of a family fiercely resisting the cruelties thrust upon it.
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Shadow on the Household, April 8 2009
By R. M. Barrett "beccabee4" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: A Shadow on the Household: One Enslaved Family's Incredible Struggle for Freedom (Hardcover)
Exquisitely researched, reads like a novel, wrenched my heart out, stood me in awe of the goodness of humanity and bopped me with its totally unexpected ending. A great book.
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