An American Quilt: Unfolding a Story of Family and Slavery

Nonfiction, Home & Garden, Crafts & Hobbies, Needlecrafts & Fabric, Quilts & Quilting, History, Military, Americas, United States
Cover of the book An American Quilt: Unfolding a Story of Family and Slavery by Rachel May, Pegasus Books
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Rachel May ISBN: 9781681774787
Publisher: Pegasus Books Publication: May 1, 2018
Imprint: Pegasus Books Language: English
Author: Rachel May
ISBN: 9781681774787
Publisher: Pegasus Books
Publication: May 1, 2018
Imprint: Pegasus Books
Language: English

**Following the trail left by an unfinished quilt, this illuminating saga examines slavery from the cotton fields of the South to the textile mills of New England—and the humanity behind it. **

When we think of slavery, most of us think of the American South. We think of back-breaking fieldwork on plantations. We don’t think of slavery in the North, nor do we think of the grueling labor of urban and domestic slaves. Rachel May’s rich new book explores the far reach of slavery, from New England to the Caribbean, the role it played in the growth of mercantile America, and the bonds between the agrarian south and the industrial north in the antebellum era—all through the discovery of a remarkable quilt.

While studying objects in a textile collection, May opened a veritable treasure-trove: a carefully folded, unfinished quilt made of 1830s-era fabrics, its backing containing fragile, aged papers with the dates 1798, 1808, and 1813, the words “shuger,” “rum,” “casks,” and “West Indies,” repeated over and over, along with “friendship,” “kindness,” “government,” and “incident.” The quilt top sent her on a journey to piece together the story of Minerva, Eliza, Jane, and Juba—the enslaved women behind the quilt—and their owner, Susan Crouch.

May brilliantly stitches together the often-silenced legacy of slavery by revealing the lives of these urban enslaved women and their world. Beautifully written and richly imagined, An American Quilt is a luminous historical examination and an appreciation of a craft that provides such a tactile connection to the past.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

**Following the trail left by an unfinished quilt, this illuminating saga examines slavery from the cotton fields of the South to the textile mills of New England—and the humanity behind it. **

When we think of slavery, most of us think of the American South. We think of back-breaking fieldwork on plantations. We don’t think of slavery in the North, nor do we think of the grueling labor of urban and domestic slaves. Rachel May’s rich new book explores the far reach of slavery, from New England to the Caribbean, the role it played in the growth of mercantile America, and the bonds between the agrarian south and the industrial north in the antebellum era—all through the discovery of a remarkable quilt.

While studying objects in a textile collection, May opened a veritable treasure-trove: a carefully folded, unfinished quilt made of 1830s-era fabrics, its backing containing fragile, aged papers with the dates 1798, 1808, and 1813, the words “shuger,” “rum,” “casks,” and “West Indies,” repeated over and over, along with “friendship,” “kindness,” “government,” and “incident.” The quilt top sent her on a journey to piece together the story of Minerva, Eliza, Jane, and Juba—the enslaved women behind the quilt—and their owner, Susan Crouch.

May brilliantly stitches together the often-silenced legacy of slavery by revealing the lives of these urban enslaved women and their world. Beautifully written and richly imagined, An American Quilt is a luminous historical examination and an appreciation of a craft that provides such a tactile connection to the past.

More books from Pegasus Books

Cover of the book Wild Together: My Adventures with Loki the Wolfdog by Rachel May
Cover of the book The Watcher: A Novel of Crime by Rachel May
Cover of the book Henry VIII: Wolfman: A Novel by Rachel May
Cover of the book In the Footsteps of Dracula: Tales of the Un-Dead Count by Rachel May
Cover of the book Being John Lennon: A Restless Life by Rachel May
Cover of the book The Globe Guide to Shakespeare: The Plays, the Productions, the Life by Rachel May
Cover of the book The Viking Wars: War and Peace in King Alfred's Britain: 789?955 by Rachel May
Cover of the book Muhammad Ali: A Tribute to the Greatest by Rachel May
Cover of the book The Surrogate: A Novel by Rachel May
Cover of the book Gretel and the Case of the Missing Frog Prints: A Brothers Grimm Mystery (Brothers Grimm Mysteries) by Rachel May
Cover of the book By Accident: A Novel by Rachel May
Cover of the book The Murdoch Method: Observations on Rupert Murdoch's Management of a Media Empire by Rachel May
Cover of the book The Wit and Wisdom of Ted Kennedy by Rachel May
Cover of the book The Ascent of Gravity: The Quest to Understand the Force that Explains Everything by Rachel May
Cover of the book The Gospel of Mary: A Celtic Adventure (Sister Deirdre Mysteries) by Rachel May
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy