Customer Reviews

Freedom by Any Means: Con Games, Voodoo Schemes, True Love and Lawsuits on the Underground Railroad

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This collection of historically accurate tales describes the many paths to freedom undertaken by black slaves through previously unheard of "Con Games, Voodoo Schemes, True Love and Law Suits on the Underground Railroad." They will strike you as clever, at times harrowing, and at other times flat out dangerous, but always full of heart, intelligence and love. The people in these historical renderings were guided by much more than the North Star. They were inspired by a deep and abiding faith in their humanity. No, these are not just stories of yesteryear, long ago days when slavery existed; these are not just stories to trot out righteously every February. These are stories to read for present-day guidance on how to escape the morass of war, poverty, hate, racism, and all the other isms that keep us isolated, insulated and thoroughly oblivious to our global kinship - except when our pocketbooks are empty and we are looking for someone to blame. Betty DeRamus masterfully wove these stories into one long proscription for modern times. They are a look back for a hope forward. Or should I say a hop? Or a row on the Ohio River, one of the routes of the Underground Railroad? Until this book I never knew Michigan, my home state, had such a progressive role in the Railroad. I'm not talking about Detroit. I'm talking about Cassopolis, Cass County, Michigan where one wouldn't ordinarily think of help for escapees from slavery. So these stories represent a portion of American history that every single person in this country needs to read as a path to understanding the heroism and heart of true patriots. These stories are well researched. DeRamus now has established a network of the families, white and black, whose ancestors played a role in the thumping of feet, the rustling of brush and the soft rippling of waves on the way to freedom.

"Freedom was supposed to taste like sweet potatoes simmered in cinnamon or pecan pies baptized with rum." However, former slave Sally Williams found the taste of actual freedom bittersweet at first. Like other people in Betty DeRamus's "Freedom by Any Means," though, Williams quickly embraced the life she and her son took extraordinary steps to create.


There are history books that spew facts. Then, there are history books that are written. With "Freedom by Any Means," journalist Betty DeRamus has written a factual book about stories from the Underground Railroad with an authentic, friendly, relevant voice.

Take for example, the beginning to Chapter Fourteen, "Let's pretend the academy of Motion Pictures was around in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, handing out shiny trophies to people on both sides of the antislavery movement..." This statement serves as an introduction to a chapter highlighting the acting and performance skills that often helped Blacks gain their freedom. There are quite a few examples like this in this book- where DeRamus uses timely, modern images to explain historical events.

Indeed, the narrator voice is engaging, guiding, instructive, yet unobtrusive. Challenging enough for scholars, but accessible enough for younger, or less seasoned audiences. Further, the author does not assume history is a bland subject for the classroom, or "historiophiles." Rather, this book includes quotes, poetry and even recipes. DeRamus uses several devices to share stories of the Underground Railroad with readers.

The stories and anecdotes contained in "Freedom by Any Means" travel ground that have not been adequately covered previously. And, happily, the work is equitable with regard to gender. In addition to males, who tend to be overrepresented in history, we learn about Tempe, a Missouri woman, who successfully sued for her freedom in court. And, we gain more insight into some of my favorites-- women like Mary Ellen Pleasant and the never too familiar Ms. Harriet Tubman. By the way, it isn't easy to teach me something new about Harriet Tubman.

I posit that when it comes to an oppressive, overarching institution such as slavery, there cannot truly be voluntary relationships between an oppressor, and the oppressed. Still, DeRamus' research offers an alternative to the standard, hostile, abusive and exploitative relationships that, more often than not, existed between Blacks and whites with stories about John L. Brown, and others. One of the best aspects of this book is that it can bear the weight of critical analysis and is worthy of inspiring intellectual and scholarly debate.

As a professor of Black Studies, what I appreciate most about this book is the profound attention to the seven principle areas of Black Studies. This text addresses history, politics, spirituality, psychology, sociology, economics, and creative production, as it relates to freedom. Indeed, the biggest problem with this text was not being able to identify a favorite section, because all the sections are significant, educational and contributory to the unfolding of Black Studies as a necessary academic discipline. The bibliography has been used intelligently, and enhances the text.

This book takes an important, urgent and needed step toward abolishing the myth of the "happy slave" and documenting our people's resistance. In a just world, a people would not have been held in inhumane bondage. But, if you want to know the many ways our people gained freedom, then, read this book!

FREEDOM BY ANY MEANS is an ingeniously crafted historical book BY ALL MEANS!!! I was more than intrigued to discover the other side of the story as it relates to African American history as I ventured into the world of the fifteen luminously untold stories uniquely documented by author Betty DeRamus.

I was instantly mesmerized with this book the moment I began reading the opening story of John Bowley, a skillful ship carpenter and freed slave, who daringly and cunningly showed up at a Maryland Slave auction in the mid-1800's with nothing more than some bold guts and a clever plan in a successful attempt to secure the freedom of his wife Kessiah (the niece of Harriet Tubman - The "Moses of Her People") and their two children who were all scheduled to be sold at auction to another slave-owner.

And I remained awestruck as I continued to read one untold historical event after another. And being a native of Tuskegee, Alabama, I was also intrigued with Tuskegee Institute's founder Booker T. Washington's description of the "grapevine telegram" - the invisible communication wire for slaves and freed blacks. Additionally, I was pleased to read an excerpt from a 1901 letter of Robert W. Taylor, financial secretary of Tuskegee Institute, to a newspaper editor concerning Harriet Tubman which reads, "She told me that when she found her mother unwilling to leave behind her feather bed tick, and her father his broad axe and other tools, she bundled up feather bed, broad axe, mother, father - all and landed them in Canada".

This expertly compiled masterpiece of "untold" historical events brings a whole new but most tasteful depiction to the accounts of African American freedom and history. As opposed to viewing slaves as a people who secured freedom through fear and avoidance, you now can appreciate an enduring account of slaves as strong people with a large vision who strategically and cleverly devised an effective and commendable plan of action for freedom. This took not only gutsy creativity but brilliant implementation.

And likewise, Author Betty DeRamus displays both gutsy creativity and brilliant implementation in her compilation of these remarkably documented untold stories. These intriguing pearls of history of American slavery should become integrated into the American history teaching curriculum of every educational facility. Needless to say, as author of "Freedom By Any means", DeRamus continues her excellence in documenting tales of African American history that she commendably started in her first book, "Forbidden Fruit".

Much of the history during and after the anti-bellum period has never been told. And as a result we are unaware of the many heroes and heroines who laid the foundation that feeds our stamina. DeRamus' renderings of historic tales light the paths of many slaves on their way to freedom. She shares some of the unheralded tools and methods they used: 'Con Games, Voodoo Schemes, True Love, Law Suits, and the Underground Railroad.'

DeRamus begins with the story of one John Bowley, a freeman who showed up at a slave auction in Cambridge, Maryland and masterfully escaped to Canada, with his 'sold' family in-tow. While most know the courageous story of Rosa Parks, which led to the infamous bus boycott, many have not heard of Elizabeth Jennings, a twenty-four-year old schoolteacher and church organist, who was thrown from a horse-drawn street car in 1854 because she would not give up her seat. Jennings successfully sued the driver and the Third Avenue Railway Company, and in 1885, a ruling eliminated racial segregation on public transportation in that city. Or, Callie House who, in 1898, organized the first convention of the National Ex-Slave Mutual Relief, Bounty and Pension Association. Or, Charlotte Hawkins Brown who, decades before the sit-ins of the 1960s, was served coffee in many North Carolina restaurants.

These encounters were clever and dangerous, but were accomplished with intelligence and love. The individuals in the escapades were inspired by a deep and abiding faith in their humanity. Although these are stories of past injustices, they still represent a hidden magnanimous history that deserves to be known. DeRamus makes readers acutely aware of the many ills that have not all been cured. I learned of key cities that were integral in assisting slaves as they journeyed on the Underground Railroad; many cities in Ohio and small unlikely cities, like Cassopolis and Cass County, in Michigan. Thorough research is evident as DeRamus exposed a network of families, white and black, whose ancestors played major roles as a race of people searched for freedom.

FREEDOM BY ANY MEANS amazed, enthralled and fascinated me, but mostly it filled me with the prideful knowledge that slaves found a semblance of an unrestricted life. They loved, lusted and lived life as complete as was humanly possible given the time and the season. This is a must read, especially for history buffs.

Reviewed by aNN
of The RAWSISTAZ(tm) Reviewers

Betty DeRamus, in Freedom by Any Means, shows that with courage "there is no hardship that won't end, no trouble that won't retreat." (Namibian proverb)

De Ramus helps us to feel present as acts of courage unfold in previously unrecorded history. She probes the Underground Railroad to bring us a story about Harriet Tubman's niece, Kessiah Bowley, who reached Canada with her husband John. He then risked his own freedom to help others escape slavery. DeRamus also brings us to the edge of the Ohio River and dares us to cross to freedom with people like Arnold Gragston and Sam Alexander.

As a former history teacher, I learn from this book the stories I wish I had known in time to tell my students. For example, the usual sources suggest that relationships between slave couples were little more than hasty couplings to meet the slave master's breeding quota. However, DeRamus shows in her book that passion was at least a catalyst in the decision to take exceptional risk to be free. For example Nelson Gant's feelings toward Anna Maria Hughes "was love bubbling on a stove, love shouting at the low-slung midnight moon, love yanking a man out of bed so he'd have time to walk around dreaming."

Debt or the prospect of debt kept many from exercising freedom fully if at all, even as it does to this day! However, this book contains accounts of persons like James Henry Cole and Clara Brown. Born in slavery, they became entrepreneurs who piled up dollars and also gave back to their families and communities.

I love this cast of characters that are all new to me, and I look forward to the films that beg to be made about these ordinary people who had extraordinary achievements in exceedingly challenging times.

I commend the author on the extent of her research, evident in her extensive bibliography. The ease of her story-telling belies the difficulties in unearthing information largely concealed in name changes for self-protection, in the fallibility of stories passed on by word of mouth, and in the dearth of records related to the enslaved.

In bringing a light to "forgotten heroes and heroines", Freedom by Any Means challenges me as a historian to do more to honor the unrecorded heroes and heroines around me, lest they too be forgotten.

DeRamus has produced a yet another significant collection of historically-based stories that describes in great detail the lives and challenges of a segment of African American history that is often lightly treated by instructors at the high school and undergraduate level.
In addition, the wonderful detail and rich bibliography introduces the reader to various types of library and archival resources, as well as research methodologies. The unique stories of courage and strength are important as supplemental reading for the high school and undergraduate student. The meticulous bibliography serves as a fine example of thorough investigative work. It may also serve to inspire graduate students in their research projects.
I find "Freedom by Any Means" to be interesting, entertaining and engaging. Just perfect for youth and young adult readers.

The author of the seminal work, "Forbidden Fruit: Love Stories from the Underground Railroad" expands on her exhaustive research by exploring the plight of early African American integration with vivid accounts of untold stories.

The interesting thing about this book is the prevalent notion that in the midst of enormous atrocities brought upon by the African Holocaust, African Americans were vigilant and forthright pursuing a path to freedom by challenging the conditions of the day. Whether via the justice system proffered by lawsuits exploiting inequalities embolden in the constitution or devising ingenious ways to buy family members and spouses out of bondage the book provides a descriptive narrative of how this was accomplished.

I particularly recommend this book to students and readers interested in a collage of stories, many culled from slave narratives as the book not only includes this information but era tinged cookbook recipes and portraits of social reformers.

For a quality fact filled history lesson I strongly urge you buy this book to add to your collection of works that contribute to describing the African Diaspora with eloquence and sensitivity.

I'm a real sucker for any books that have to do with the Underground Railroad. My grandfather was a black history professor and author of a book on the subject. So, when I received this riveting book by author Betty DeRamus, I couldn't wait to feature it as my "Book of Color" Pick of the Day.

Freedom by Any Means explores a side of Black History you're likely to not have heard too much about. More than just anecdotes of the Underground Railroad, it shares the untold stories of slaves that were freed by extraordinary means..

After years of research, veteran and award-winning journalist, Betty DeRamus has compiled what I believe to be a more than fascinating treat for History buffs.

I agree with much that has been said in more positive reviews. Freedom by Any Means will give you a deeper and better understanding of the courage of the people who risked everything to be free. Some of the stories are more astonishing than anything I could have imagined. So I'm glad I read this book, and very glad that it was written.

At the same time, the book suffers from a problem DeRamus couldn't help: not much is known about many of the brave men and women she describes. For example, the first chapter is almost entirely guess-work on the part of the author. She knows that a man managed to save his wife and family on the very day of their auction, in circumstances that have perplexed everyone who has encountered the story. It's interesting, but since she doesn't have many facts, her attempts to turn it into an entire chapter are disappointing. Each chapter that follows is stronger than the first, although each demonstrates the tragic lack of information we have about the people involved.

DeRamus fleshes out incidents with a lot of fascinating background info, which was often more satisfying than the main account.

I learned a lot from this book, but felt tantalized by the amount of guess-work involved. Not DeRamus' fault: she was mostly working from second-hand accounts, often those of white bystanders. I think her problem was trying to turn a little information into lengthy chapters.

ETA: My thanks to the author for her clarification. A glimpse of the bibliography did impress me with the depth of research conducted, but I'm excited to learn that DeRamus brought to light new sources. As a person obsessed with details, I would have liked to see more information in the first chapter. However, I realize that records are limited, and do appreciate DeRamus' efforts to piece information into the coherent narrative contained in the book.

These fifteen well written true stories focus on courageous individuals trying to either escape from slavery or applying extraordinary methods to enable blacks to escape from slavery. The first entry "The Big Bluff" sets the tome when freeman John Bowley arrives at a Maryland Slave auction to take his family with him as they are up for sale. In "Waters of Hope" slave Arnold Gragston rowed escaping slaves across the Ohio River to safety; others like black barbers Daniel Strawther and Jerry Jones did likewise. Others are equally brave like Nelson Gant who risks his life and freedom for his love of Anna Maria Hughes or putting their money where their mouths were like James Henry Cole and Clara Brown as economics was as big if not bigger roadblock to freedom. Although some of the record is missing requiring Betty DeRamus to speculate, the overall courage is documented. Divided into three sections, this is a winning historical as readers obtain a wider perspective of the risk people took for freedom not just for themselves, but for loved ones and even strangers; summed up in the last entry of "Don't Call her Mammy" re Mary Ellen Pleasant, the "mother of the civil rights movement in California".

Harriet Klausner