A Slave No More tells the narrative of two men born, Wallace Turnage and John Washington, slaves who ran away and gained their freedom upon reaching Union troop lines during the Civil War. The first part of the book, by author David W. Blight, expands on these narratives by telling their life stories and those of their wives and children after the Civil War has long ended. Then the book shifts to the reading of the actual narratives word for word.
The two halves of the book come together for a powerful and moving book. I believe it is important to keep going back to reading or listening to different eras of history. And also to not cut these difficult parts of our nation’s history from being taught to students in school. Racism and discrimination still take place today, which makes it all the more important to learn about the past, so hopefully, the cycle is broken once and for all.
