Two books trace enslaved people's journey to freedom in the 19th century

NPR's Book of the Day

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Arts, Books

4.2 • 671 Ratings

🗓️ 7 April 2023

⏱️ 17 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Today's episode features two books examining the sacrifices made by enslaved people in the U.S. First, NPR's Steve Inskeep speaks with author Ilyan Woo about Master, Slave, Husband, Wife. It's a true story about a young couple that poses as an elderly white man and his slave in order to escape the South. Then, author Kai Thomas tells NPR's Ari Shapiro about how his novel, In the Upper Country, takes a closer look at the relationship between Black and indigenous people – and how free Black communities in Canada became a safe haven during the American Civil War.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, it's NPR's Book of the Day. I'm Andrew Limbaung. Today, we've got two examinations of the
0:08.1	North American slave trade that, while it is well-trod territory for writers, seem to bring new
0:14.1	and interesting perspectives on the topic. In a bit, we'll hear about a novel that examines
0:18.5	Canada's role in the Underground Railroad. But first, an absolutely wild nonfiction story about a novel that examines Canada's role in the Underground Railroad.
0:25.6	But first, an absolutely wild non-fiction story about a young enslaved couple,
0:31.4	Ellen and William Kraft, and how they escaped slavery by pretending to be something they weren't.
0:35.8	The book is called Master, Slave, Husband, Wife by writer Ilion Wu, and she talked to impair Steve Inskeep about this amazing couple and why, after they escaped.
0:41.5	After they made their way from Georgia up the East Coast, they eventually decided to go back.
0:47.3	In the U.S., national security news can feel far away from daily life.
0:52.1	Distant wars, murky conflicts, diplomacy behind closed doors.
0:56.5	On our new show, Sources and Methods, NPR reporters on the ground bring you stories
1:00.8	of real people helping you understand why distant events matter here at home.
1:06.3	Listen to sources and methods on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.
1:12.0	We have the story of a divided nation. Not divided as we know now, but divided between states
1:17.8	that banned slavery and states that embraced it. In 1848, in the slave state of Georgia,
1:23.9	a husband and wife decided to escape. It was 800 miles to Philadelphia in the free state
1:29.8	of Pennsylvania, but Ellen and William Kraft made a plan to travel by train and boat in disguise.
1:37.0	The writer Ilyan Wu reconstructs their escape in her new book, Master's Slave, Husband,
1:42.6	wife. Ellen was the daughter of her first enslaver, and from him she had inherited a very light
1:50.0	complexion. So she's actually the one who disguises herself as a master. She dons the
1:55.7	outfit of a wealthy, white male enslaver who is disabled and thus is all the more dependent on the services
2:04.2	of her slave. And that world of the slave is performed by her husband, William. What was the
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