Tuesday Night Book Club: Master Slave Husband Wife

Join us for a discussion of Master Slave Husband Wife by Ilyon Woo, winner of the 2024 Pulitzer Prize in Biography. This gripping true story recounts the extraordinary escape of Ellen and William Craft, an enslaved couple who fled Georgia in 1848 through a daring disguise—Ellen posing as a white, disabled slaveholder and William as her enslaved servant. Traveling more than 1,000 miles by train, carriage, and steamboat, they navigated constant danger while exploiting the era’s rigid assumptions about race, class, and gender. Their successful escape made them prominent voices in the abolitionist movement, but new threats under the Fugitive Slave Act forced them into further flight. At once a history of resistance, a love story, and a reflection on freedom, the book brings to life a remarkable chapter of American history. Copies are available at the first-floor information desk. New members are always welcome!