Harriet Tubman: The Road to Freedom

I appreciate this attempt made to honor Harriet Tubman, a woman worthy of accurate rendition. Different than historical texts written by Civil War scholars who sought to pay tribute to this American heroine, I think this author used some personal biases. However, it is a book written to be faithful to the antebellum South and the warriors for freedom.

Harriet Tubman is possibly one of the best known women outside of America, and it is ironic that she was born a slave and not considered important enough to even note her arrival except as property in Southern America of the 1820's, yet she rose to be one of the most important women of her time - or do I mean influential. I digress through. I loved this biography. I thought Catherine Clinton did a fine job in making an enormously readable and well researched biography. I liked the simple spare text and Clinton's able explanations which allowed me to understand context with the minimum of fuss. Harriet Tubman was a woman of whom it can be said there were many firsts. She was the first to black, and first woman, to be a conductor on the underground railway, the organisation which took slaves from the Southern plantations and guided them to safety in the North. Later she guided them all the way to Canada. Until Harriet Tubman came along all the conductors had been white men. Her stoic courage and her sheer hardwork under all circumstances are extraodinary. So little remains on record of those days. The underground Railway was after all an illegal institution and the government of the day includded slave owners who at various times passed laws to make their work more difficult. So there is not a great deal of documentary evidence available. What is there Clinton has done a great job searching out. We are lucky that Tubman did leave an autobiography as without that there would be slim reference to her in history. What I most enjoyed about this book was that I had read some biographys of Harriet Tubman as a child, but this one allowed me, as an adult to understand so much more about her. The context of the world she lived in, the passing of the laws, her role in the civil war, and even in the raids. Tubman lived another 50 years following the end of the war and in that time she was still a ceaseless worker for her people. I only hope that my children will be more inspired by someone like Tubman than the current rash of Paris Hilton-esque superficial wannabes. Tubman is proof that no matter what your circumstances with ceaseless determination you can effect change. A great book which I would highly recommend to be motivated yourself!

I've been reading about Harriet Tubman since I first learned to read, and I can honestly say, this is the best I've read. Any fan of Harriet Tubman who want more details about her life as a slave, her roles as a spy and nurse during the Civil War, and her work after the war will find a lot of goodies here. The book also discusses some little known mysteries in H.T.'s life, especially her "niece" that she kidnapped. This is the only book you ever need to buy about H.T.'s life, period!

Catherine Clinton's biography of Harriet Tubman is a major addition to the American historical corpus. She has fully and magnificently brought to life for adults a woman who before now generally resided in children's books and half-remembered stories from elementary school. Harriet Tubman was an amazing woman and a pivotal figure in antebellum American history; Clinton has produced a biography worthy of its subject. It is eminently readable, well-researched, and deserves to stand alongside her other books, including her fascinating works on Fanny Kemble.

Catherine Clinton has written a truly captivating and engaging biography of one of America's greatest heroes! Hooray! While I would love to add my review to the chorus, it seems that Publisher's Weekly, BookList, and Time Magazine--where I first read about the book have already given Clinton much praise for her stellar scholarship and meticulous evaluation of the sources. And while I certainly love a good debate, I must disagree with CreativeFolk; so the authors differ on a few points. I am just so happy that there is more to read! But instead of suggesting to you all another book on Harriet, I --like the author of the Time magazine article--see Clinton's book in a very fascinating dialogue with Jean Yellin's recently published biography of Harriet Jacobs. So, I recommend checking out both Harriet Tubman and Harriet Jacobs! James Hart

THE ROAD TO FREEDOM is a superb account of the American "Black Moses", Harriet Tubman. The book actually opens with Ms. Tubman's last major public endeavor surprisingly (at least to this author) occurring in 1908 long after her famous role as an engineer of the Underground Railroad. The bio then shifts back to the early nineteenth century as Ms Tubman is born during ironically the "Era of Good Feeling" as a slave in Maryland. It follows her as she marries John Tubman, flees to Canada without him, joins John Brown, works as a Civil War nurse and spy, and of course the Underground Railroad.. Of interest is that Ms. Tubman not only advocated racial freedom, she championed women's suffrage.Ms. Tubman's salad days lack insightful personal information due to her slave status and a 1850s fire. Therefore Ms. Clinton provides a general look at conditions for slaves in Eastern Shore, Maryland. This generalization enables the audience to infer how Harriet probably lived in her early years. Deeper insight is provided to her middle and later years this is a suburb account that biography readers will appreciate because it is well written, easy to follow, and loaded with plenty on interesting detail about a genuine American hero. Though the author too easily accepts the "legendary" Tubman as gospel, HARRIET TUBMAN: THE ROAD TO FREEDOM is an endearing educational and entertaining book that history buffs and biography aficionados will enjoy.Harriet Klausner