Title: Bound for the Promised Land:
Harriet Tubman, Portrait of an American Hero
Author: Kate Clifford Larson
Read by: Pam Ward
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Read by: Pam Ward
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Length: 12 hours and 26 minutes
Source: Review Digital Audio from Audiobook Jukebox – Thanks!
Source: Review Digital Audio from Audiobook Jukebox – Thanks!
The most information that Americans know about Harriet Tubman was
gleaned from children’s biographies taught in elementary school. The majority of those biographies are based
on an inaccurate biography written after the Civil War that was updated to not
offend those in the South. Bound for the
Promised Land is the first adult biography of Harriet Tubman written since the 1940’s. I found it curious that such an important
figure in American History had not had an adult biography written for over 70
years.
The biography starts from Harriet’s early life and what can be gleaned
about her ancestry. What I found the
most interesting is that Harriet’s mother and father were manumissed at a certain
age by their owner. This meant that
after performing service for a certain period of time, a slave would be
released from bondage and be a free individual.
Harriet’s mother Rit, was not freed upon the age of 45 by the owner that
inherited her and either were her children.
I was deeply troubled that these promises could be made and put into
wills only to be broken by future generations.
Harriet grew up watching her family split apart as siblings were sold
off. She finally ran away with two of
her brothers after her husband refused to go with her. The brothers didn’t make it all of the way,
but Harriet did. She didn’t get
comfortable with her freedom, but spent a decade returning to Maryland and
helping other family members and enslaved people escape to freedom. I was amazed at how Harriet was able to be the
master of disguise and to fool so many people, including her old master. Also thinking about how many times she made
this journey, which took so long in this time period is amazing. I also loved how she worked with distinguished
abolitionists of her day to obtain funds to keep making trips. My favorite is when the New York office told
her there were no funds and she waited in the office all day until visitors had
collected enough money for her to go back.
Harriet’s service continued with the Civil War. She was a valued scout and nurse all through
the war, but sadly she was never paid as other scouts and nurses were. She was also the first American woman to lead
troops into battle. After the war,
Harriet settled in Albany and continued to help her family and everyone that
came by and professed a need. Tubman was
always in extreme poverty as she spent a lifetime of giving and helping
everyone, but herself. She also worked
for women’s rights.
Harriet was human. One of my
favorite parts of the book was when her parents and others living with at the
time gave her a hard time as there was no food to eat. She couldn’t take the haranguing anymore and
sat in a closet. Then she got up, took
her basket, and went around town and was able to get things on credit and trade
until she had enough for dinner.
Overall, I was amazed at what a life Harriet Tubman lived. She was an amazing woman. I also loved how her fight for freedom didn’t
end with the Underground Railroad, or even the Civil War, she was fighting for
women’s rights long afterwards. She was
also an unselfish person who was always helping those in need.
I was deeply disturbed in this book that Harriet Tubman’s story was
changed through time, specifically that in order to repair relations with the
South, much of the brutality and injustice that Tubman faced was whitewashed
from history. I find this a true
travesty and wonder if this has continued into race problems of today.
I listened to the audiobook version of this story as narrated by Pam
Ward. She did a good job as a narrator,
although I do admit that I wish that it would have had an African American
narrator from the South. Overall, this
was an excellent work on Harriet Tubman’s life.
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