Shadow on the Household: One Enslaved Family's Incredible Struggle for Freedom Book

This is the true story of John Weems (a free black man), his wife Arabella, and their eight children. Arabella is a slave and, following the laws of the times (1840s), because Arabella is a slave, all her children are also slaves. When the owner of Arabella and the Weems children sells off the family, John is forced to track down his loved ones and do everything in his power to reunite the family and buy their freedom.

This book offers a fantastic look at the workings of the Underground Railroad, but also of some aspects of slavery and the process to free blacks that I wasn't aware of. I hadn't realized that some people, either former slaves or abolitionists, raised funds in order to purchase slaves, and then once they became their owners they emancipated them. Although a couple of his children escaped slavery via the Underground Railroad, John managed to raise enough funds to eventually, over a number of years, purchase his family members and then give them their freedom. The moral implications of this practice were hotly debated at the time by abolitionists. Should supporters give funds to help free individuals (and thus, in effect, pay "ransom" to slave owners), or would the money be better spent on broader abolition activities? An interesting question, especially when you know the personal details and heartache of a family such as the Weems.

Another heartbreaking dilemma: if you track down two slave siblings, but have only enough funds to purchase one of them, which one do you purchase? John had to make this terrible decision at one point when he found two of his young daughters. How do you choose? Imagine having to leave one of your daughters trapped in slavery, while rescuing the other one.

This book was well researched and although a little dry in spots (it was hard sometimes keeping track of all the names of slaves, owners, slave traders, and abolitionists), overall it was a very good book. The author is speaking at my book club later this month, so it should be interesting!