
Bound for the Promised Land
Harriet Tubman, Portrait of an American Hero
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Narrated by:
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Pam Ward
Harriet Tubman is one of the giants of American history - a fearless visionary who led scores of her fellow slaves to freedom and battled courageously behind enemy lines during the Civil War. And yet in the century since her death, next to nothing has been written about this extraordinary woman aside from juvenile biographies. The truth about Harriet Tubman has become lost inside a legend woven of racial and gender stereotypes. Now at last, in this long-overdue biography, historian Kate Clifford Larson gives Harriet Tubman the powerful, intimate, meticulously detailed life she deserves. Drawing from a trove of new documents and sources as well extensive genealogical research, Larson reveals Tubman as a complex woman - brilliant, shrewd, deeply religious, and passionate in her pursuit of freedom.
The descendant of the vibrant, matrilineal Asante people of the African Gold Coast, Tubman was born into slavery on the Eastern Shore of Maryland but refused to spend her life in bondage. While still a young woman she embarked on a perilous journey of self-liberation - and then, having won her own freedom, she returned again and again to liberate family and friends, tapping in to the Underground Railroad. Yet despite her success, her celebrity, and her close ties with Northern politicians and abolitionists, Tubman suffered crushing physical pain and emotional setbacks.
Stripping away myths and misconceptions, Larson presents stunning new details about Tubman's accomplishments, personal life, and influence, including her relationship with Frederick Douglass, her involvement with John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry, and revelations about a young woman who may have been Tubman's daughter. Here, too, are Tubman's twilight years after the war, when she worked for women's rights and in support of her fellow Blacks, and when racist politicians and suffragists marginalized her contribution. Harriet Tubman, her life, and her work remain an inspiration to all who value freedom. Now, thanks to Larson's breathtaking biography, we can finally appreciate Tubman as a complete human being - an American hero, yes, but also a woman who loved, suffered, and sacrificed. Bound for the Promised Land is a magnificent work of biography, history, and truth telling.
©2015 Kate Clifford Larson (P)2015 Blackstone Audio, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...




















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hard to follow
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. I can also now read other stories about Mrs. Harriet Tubman and better form my opinion about who she was and what she contributed to the United States of America and her contributions as a role model for people whose lives she touched.
My opportunity to read/listen to this book is timely especially since critical race theory has surfaced now highly discussed).
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Think you know Harriet Tubman's story?
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Outstanding Book
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awesome story about a real hero very beautiful wom
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Enjoyable Book, Worthy Subject for Sure
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Thorough and long overdue
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A Great Story Well Told
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Excellent biography on an exceptional woman
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One of the only Tubman biographies aimed at adults (as opposed to most that are aimed at elementary school students), Larson's biography marshals an impressive array of primary sources and scholarship to present a life that deserves more than children's books. While Tubman's life is fascinating and she is deservedly known primarily for her contributions to the Underground Railroad, her struggles as a slave, confidante of John Brown, Union scout (including leading a raid in South Carolina), spy, and nurse all make for fascinating reading.
Larson describes Tubman's life story as "malleable" insofar as different groups used or mythologized her for different purposes. Obviously, abolitionists found value in her story but later in life, Tubman's story found purchase among elements of the suffragist movement in their quest for voting rights for women (I say "elements" because there was a definite split among female suffragists with a sizable number seeking to exclude blacks from their efforts).
The one real critique is that Tubman's post-war life feels condensed. She lived until 1913 but those 50 years take up a comparatively smallish portion of the book. It's a minor criticism and insofar as Tubman's post-war life was primarily just that of a woman trying to make her way with all the obstacles (minor and major) that people face rather than momentous events, it's weirdly appropriate, but still unfortunate.
Overall, "Bound for the Promised Land" is an outstanding biography that paints a far more complete picture than the children's coloring books that dominate the shelves.
A solid bio of a fascinating figure.
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