A SLAVE NO MORE Two Men Who Escaped to Freedom

Two rare slave narratives, firsthand accounts of slavery and escapes to freedom during the Civil War, form the backbone of Yale Professor David W. Blight's book. While Blight reads his portion, which puts the narratives in historical context and discusses the lives led by the writers, a different reader takes on each of the narratives. Thus, John M. Washington's story is told in a reflective, eloquent voice, while Wallace Turnage's story dramatically brings home the risks and dangers involved in his escape attempts. The abridgment leaves some repetition between Blight's writing and the slave narratives, and his narration tends toward the scholarly. Nonetheless, the power of the unedited manuscripts is compelling. J.A.S. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/ MAY 08]