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by Erica Armstrong Dunbar (Author), Kathleen Van Cleve (Author)
Now with a new look!
Three starred reviews! The National Book Award Finalist for Nonfiction by New York Times bestselling biographer Erica Armstrong Dunbar is now available as a young readers edition--the "gripping" (BCCB, starred review) narrative of Ona Judge, George and Martha Washington's runaway enslaved woman, who risked everything for a better life. In this incredible narrative, Erica Armstrong Dunbar reveals a fascinating and heartbreaking behind-the-scenes story of the Washingtons when they were the First Family--and an in-depth look at their enslaved person, Ona Judge, who dared to escape from one of the nation's Founding Fathers. Born into a life of slavery, Ona Judge eventually grew up to be George and Martha Washington's "favored" dower enslaved woman. When she was told that she was going to be given as a wedding gift to Martha Washington's granddaughter, Ona made the bold and brave decision to flee to the north, where she would be considered a fugitive but have the ability to live freely. From her childhood to her time as an enslaved person with the Washingtons to her escape to New Hampshire and her life afterwards, Ona Judge's little-known but powerful history, culminating in her journey to freedom, is intimately shared by Erica Armstrong Dunbar and Kathleen Van Cleve.Author Biography
Erica Armstrong Dunbar is a historian and professor of African American studies at Emory University. Her first book was A Fragile Freedom: African American Women and Emancipation in the Antebellum City. Her second book, Never Caught: The Washingtons' Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge was a finalist for the National Book Award in nonfiction and a winner of the Frederick Douglass Book Award. She is also the author of She Came to Slay, an illustrated tribute to Harriet Tubman, and Susie King Taylor and is the co-executive producer of the HBO series The Gilded Age.
Kathleen Van Cleve teaches creative writing and film at the University of Pennsylvania. She has written three books, including the award-winning middle grade novel Drizzle and lives in Philadelphia with her husband and sons.
Number of Pages: 272
Dimensions: 0.9 x 7.5 x 5.1 IN
Publication Date: September 15, 2026
