Iola Leroy; or, Shadows uplifted, by Frances E. W. Harper. (Paperback)

by Michigan Historical Reprint Series (Author)
Key Phrases: war war ober, dere war, cullud folks, Aunt Linda, Uncle Daniel, Captain Sybil (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"Probably the best-selling novel by an African-American before the 20th century."--The New York Times
"For all its heavy-handed moralizing, ÝIola Leroy purposefully fought the prevailing negative views about Blacks."--Essence
"Clearly Harper's words prove her awareness of the cultural and political functions of narrative. With its intricate plot, about a mulatto who first assumes she is white, subsequently learns she is the daughter of a slave ('the child follows the condition of its mother') and is therefore black, and
who ultimately makes the conscious choice not to pass for white but to live as a black woman, Iola Leroy is a novel filled with the complexities and contradictions of black-and-female existence in America in the nineteenth century. While the success of the novel is indisputable in terms of copies
sold, what is harder to measure is the extent to which it altered cultural and racial attitudes."--The Women's Review of Books
"Harper was a persuasive and sensitive writer, a popular and articulate speaker, and friend of some of the best-known political activists, religious leaders, educators, and artists....Long before she attempted her novel, Iola Leroy, or Shadows Uplifted, she had gained an international reputation as
a writer, lecturer, and political activist....Iola Leroy represents the transition from the antebellum period to the Harlem Renaissance and links Afro-American fiction to women's fiction. It is a work that has excited controversy and that is currently exciting scholastic interest."--Frances Foster
Smith, from her Introduction
"Frances E.W. Harper's Iola LeRoy is finally taking its place as an illuminating late 19th centurytreatment of the plantation system. Frances Smith Foster's introduction to the novel is excellent."--Dr. Mary Ann Wiensatt McClintock, University of S. Carolina


Product Description
This volume is produced from digital images created through the University of Michigan University LibraryÕs preservation reformatting program.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Scholarly Publishing Office, University of Michigan Library; New title edition (March 31, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1425526152
• ISBN-13: 978-1425526153
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #3,229,128 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars civil war drama, May 3, 2008

By	Martha J. Weil - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This historical novel poigniantly illustrates one woman's struggle for racial identity and the reunion of her family. Set during upheaval of the US Civil War, Iola leroy; or, shadows uplifted is written from a point of view never before, or since acknowledged. Written in the late 1800's, Frances E.W.Harper was the first famous black-woman novelist in US history. A "must read" for all Americans interested in our shared past; our untold story.