Ilyon Woo will discuss her recent book, Master, Slave, Husband, Wife: An Epic Journey from Slavery to Freedom (Simon & Schuster, 2023). It recounts the inspiring story of William and Ellen Craft, the most famous couple to flee enslavement in the South. They did it by “hiding in plain sight.” Ellen, who was light skinned, posed as a slave owner traveling northward with her personal servant, William. They made it to freedom by boat and railroad car.Their tale is an inspiring love story. The couple wanted to legalize their marriage (which was denied them in slavery) and raise a family in freedom. Come relive this story of the quest for love and freedom on Valentine’s Day.Reviewers have called Woo’s book “skillfully crafted storytelling . . . beautifully written.”
A book signing will follow Woo’s talk.Woo is the author of The Great Divorce: A Nineteenth-Century Mother’s Extraordinary Fight Against Her Husband, the Shakers, and Her Times (2011). Her writing has appeared in the Boston Globe, Wall Street Journal, and other major publications.
Sponsored by
- Alumni Relations
- College of Liberal Arts & Education
- Student Life
- African American Studies
- Black Abolitionist Archive
- Women & Gender Studies