All Different Kinds of Free

Mama always told me bad things happen on Wednesdays, 'cause it's the middle of the week and the Lord just ain't looking then. I never really understood what she meant by that, because I thought the Lord was always supposed to be looking.

I'm grown now, and Mama's long since gone. But, oh, how I pray she was wrong about Wednesdays and that the Good Lord is looking down on York County, Pennsylvania this day.

Smart, hard-working, educated. A proud wife and mother. As a free woman of color in the 1830's, Margaret Morgan lived a comfortable life and envisioned a good future for her family, until the day her former owner sent a vicious bounty hunter to return her and her children to Maryland. Thrown back into a brutally cruel system, Margaret did the unthinkable in that era: she took her case to court.

Her fate would to be determined by the laws of a time when one state considered her a citizen but another saw her as property. The landmark case of Prigg vs. Pennsylvania sewed the bitter seeds of the states' rights battle that would lead eventually to the Civil War.

But the heart of this story is not a historic Supreme Court ruling, it is the remarkable, unforgettable, Margaret Morgan. Her life would never be the same. Her family had been torn apart. Uncaring forces abused her body and her heart. Yet she refused to give up; refused to stop fighting; refused to allow her soul to be enslaved.

This vivid, true story will draw readers deep into the heartbreak, terror, courage and indomitable pride of one heroic woman.

My Thoughts:

Margaret is a fascinating character, strong and courageous. Her story is inspiring and terrifying. Throughout the horrific incidents she and her family go through Margaret never loses faith or hope.

I can't imagine what it would feel like watching your children being taken away as slaves but newcomer McCann has written in a way that gives you a bit of insight.
Jessica McCann has given us a book, beautifully written, that will keep you reading from cover to cover. Grab a tissue.

All Different Kinds of Free gets 5 stars!

I was given a free e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.


Title: All Different Kinds of Free

Publisher: Bell Bridge Books

Pub Date: 04/02/2011

ISBN: 9781611940053