Customer Reviews

Bound for the Promised Land: Harriet Tubman: Portrait of an American Hero

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In her introduction, Larson says "We all believe we know Harriet Tubman" yet this knowledge is limited to the heroic myth of children's books. She does not seem real flesh and blood to us. Larson sets out to rectify this, and does so admirably. She spent years combing through primary sources such as court records and private letters to recreate for us a Harriet Tubman who lives and breathes. There's even a family tree.

Along the way, some treasured myths are debunked. For example, there was never a $40,000 bounty on her head. Nor (as every school child can quote) did she make 19 trips and rescue 300 people; it's closer to 13 trips and 70 people, and she perhaps provided aid and instructions to another 50. None of which diminishes her heroism, of course. It simply makes her more accessible as a human being by setting the record straight. And what Larson adds to the record far outweighs what she takes away.

This book can be challenging to read at times, because rather than stating her own conclusions as fact (e.g.Tubman's birth date, which she places in February or March of 1822) Larson sometimes presents several possibilities and provides evidence to support each; we are left to draw our own conclusions. But this provides groundwork for future researchers and, I feel, is a more honest than presuming finality where none is present.

The Publisher's Weekly review above mentions competition from Catherine Clinton's Harriet Tubman: The Road to Freedom. While the narrative style of the Clinton book is probably more accessible to a casual reader, the book relies heavily on secondary sources, repeating some of the very myths debunked in Larson's book. But overall, it does take advantage of modern scholarship and is therefore an improvement upon previous adult biographies. If you want a quick and easy read, the Clinton book is a good choice.

If you want a book that is solidly and originally researched, then Larson is the only way to go.

Curator, AfroAmericanHeritage dot com

as to "questioning" the popular numbers for trips into the slave South and people led to freedom, Larson relies more on Tubman's *own* reports than on the writers (often WHITE by the way!) who had their own rationales for inflating the numbers in service of books sales and other political goals. Larson does not *reduce* Tubman's heroism (indeed the subtitle explicitly calls Tubman a "hero" ) what she does is highlight the fact that whether 70 or 300 were led to freedom by Harriet Tubman she was a hero.

The book is a celebration of an American life that draws on sources black, white, archival, family and tradition. The acknowledgments and the cover blurbs are thanks to a myriad of African Americans of all types. What those people did recognize and this reader below does not is that Larson used the truth and the historical record to make that heroism more than simply a popular opinion but an incontrovertible fact. We honor the past and its heroes by telling the TRUTH about them. Harriet Tubman didn't need myth then and she doesn't need it now. Her life was one of truth and faith, we owe her memory nothing less.

Who is this woman they called "Moses?" and what did she do to acquire this name?
In this work by Kate Larson we examine the life and workings of Harriet Tubman, a remarkable woman who risked her life for others. The author takes us along the journey of Ms.Tubman's life and her battle for freedom and the freedom of others who were slaves at this time.
The author's work shows her intense research as she carefully outlines and puts together all the pieces of this incredible woman's life. Her writing style is factual yet she draws you along in a gentle storytelling manner that keeps your attention.
The pictures that were included added much realism to the read as pictures certainly help by putting a face on the character you are reading about. I found this work very enlightening and certainly learned a lot about an outstanding woman of history and the era in which she lived.
Shirley Johnson

Unfortunately, what many people know about Harriet Tubman is often relegated to a few facts taught during Black History month. "The Moses of her people" or the "Conductor of the Underground Railroad" are a few often quoted phrases used when discussing this historic figure. Yet, how many of us honestly know and understand what truly drove Harriet Tubman to do what she did? In the historical biography BOUND FOR THE PROMISE LAND: HARRIET TUBMAN: PORTRAIT OF AN AMERICAN HERO, by Kate Clifford Larson we are given a birds-eye view of the overwhelmingly heartbreaking and dangerous sacrifices Tubman endured to obtain her freedom and that of other enslaved people.

Kate Clifford Larson gives insight into Tubman's life by documenting her family history and how she, her mother and siblings were sold and forced to move away from her beloved father. Tubman spent most of her teen years being hired out to different masters; many of these temporary masters were unbelievably cruel to her. It was fear of being sold once more that prompted Tubman to run away using the already established Underground Railroad for help. The love and empathy for family and friends who remained in bondage is what gave Tubman the courage to make trips back into slave territory to and assist her people in escapes. The amount of intelligence, physical stamina and heroism that it took for Tubman to endure during the trips were nothing short of miraculous, especially considering the fact that Tubman was epileptic (caused by being hit in the head by an overseer trying to prevent an escape). Yet, her love of family, justice and God kept her going despite the threat of being caught.

Kate Clifford Larson has written a book that is not only a historical biography, but also reads like a work of fiction. Harriet Tubman comes to life in a compelling story of love, loyalty and courage during a horrific period in America's history. Although the tale of Harriet Tubman's life has been documented numerous times before, Larson digs deeper than most other biographers. Harriet's soul and spirituality comes to life in the compelling well documented way that Larson tells it. This is a biography that I believe many will enjoy because it isn't as dry as some historical autobiographies tend to be. Larson takes the reader on Tubman's journey step by step with compelling reality. Throughout the book you could sense Tubman's fear and anxiety as she hears the barking of the bloodhounds on her heels, or feel the pain of the slaves as they run for their very lives. Larson has truly created a worthwhile read.

Reviewed by L. Raven James
of The RAWSISTAZ™ Reviewers

Bound for the Promised Land is the first book that I have actually read to the very end, in a long time. I could not put this book down! As I turned page after page, there was wonderful historic fact couched in a way that is easily understood by the reader and placed within a believeable context of time, places, and people whom Harriet Tubman encountered or assisted during her long lifetime.

Kate Clifford Larson brings Harriet Tubman to life because of the many details she includes in the book. I was in awe as to how the author would know such extensive information. Clearly, this book was thoroughly researched. The biographer goes beyond just presenting facts. She also analyzes situations and interprets them. One example concerns why Tubman 'kidnapped' her own niece and brought her to Canada. No other print source that I have read so far has presented a theory as to why that may have occurred.

This book is a must-read for any serious student of history and particularly those who are interested in the Underground Railroad and those abolitionists and conductors who facilitated flights to freedom. Magnificent piece of writing and well worth reading!

Patricia L. Cummings

I found this book fascinating. As a resident of Talbot and Caroline counties in Maryland for 15 years now, I was very interested in discovering the local places and names that were so significant a part of Ms. Tubman's life. For me, it made this history come alive.
I would recommend it to anyone interested in Harriet Tubman or the history of Maryland's Eastern Shore.

An excellent book! You will learn so much more than you ever thought you knew about Harriet and what you did learn in school doesn't hold a candle to who she really is. This is a remarkable book and should be part of every middle school history class. Larson has done an excellent job bringing this much information to us and years of research do it. Remarkable!

Kate Larson spent years researching and documenting Harriet Tubman's life to write this book. I had the pleasure of hearing her speak about the book in Cambridge, MD. Mr. Thomas Hall (who reviewed this book below) could have benefited from hearing Mrs. Larson speak. I feel he is not being fair by saying a white person could not write about African American history. At this lecture, which was supported by the Harriet Tubman Society, several of her sources were also in attendance. One gentleman was an African American historian from Dorchester County. I don't doubt for a moment that Mrs. Larson was not as accurate and thorough in her research for this book. It is extremely well written and a fascinating read.

I loved this well researched story of Harriet Tubman's life and work. I felt as though I had a privileged insight into the woman who fought such a courageous & dangerous battle for her people.. The book was well written and so interesting I couldn't put it down. I bought it while in Cambridge, MD where Harriet grew up as a small child in slavery. A gentleman in the small museum dedicated to her, recommended this book to me and I am so glad he did.

I found this biography fasinating and had no idea all the things Harriet Tubman went through to survive. This book made me laugh,cry and angry at the way she was treated by her masters. It seemed that every page brought out a new and fasinating fact about this remarkable woman's life.