A Shadow on the Household

Praise

“A work with the breadth and depth of a historical epic. . . . At times, it’s easy to forget that A Shadow on the Household is a work of history, and not fiction. Often, the text has the heightened drama of a detective narrative, with villains and heroes, and people working against the clock, against unimaginable odds. . . . a gripping and comprehensive historical investigation that will draw you in and make you think.”
– Montreal Gazette

“Prince’s concrete details of a desperate time and place bring the family fiercely to life. It is a superb piece of scholarship.”
– Globe and Mail

“[A] compelling work of popular history . . . Extensive details and background make for chilling and gut-rending reading. . . . Accounts such as this people’s history remind us of our inhumanity, but also of the good that devotion and commitment can achieve.”
– Winnipeg Free Press

“Prince, a Buxton-area farmer and a descendant of slaves, clearly possesses a remarkable understanding of the history of the subject he has written about. A Shadow on the Household is an unrelenting triumph; a glowing, exhaustively researched and utterly sincere work that demonstrates how tight family ties can be. Outstanding.”
– SCENE magazine

“What a fascinating story! With prodigious research, a fine eye for detail, and a deep respect for a family who endured the most painful trauma under the slave system that governed their lives, Bryan Prince brings the dramatic tale of Arabella and John Weems and their nine children to life. Prince is an accomplished storyteller.”
– Karolyn Smardz Frost, Governor General’s Award-winning author of I’ve Got a Home in Glory Land

“The powerful drama of the Weems family’s pursuit of freedom is beautifully and hauntingly retold here through Bryan Prince’s remarkable storytelling skill. A Shadow on the Household is an extraordinary tale of the powerful bonds of family that even slavery and forced separation could not destroy. . . . A Shadow on the Household is a story of heroes and villains, of joy and pain, and ultimately a salute to real freedom fighters. A must read.”
– Kate Clifford Larson, Ph.D., author of Bound For the Promised Land: Harriet Tubman, Portrait of an American Hero

“A Shadow on the Household contrasts slavery’s insidious and cruel assault on the black family with the Weems family’s unflagging, courageous, heartbreaking and exhilarating struggle to free each and every member of the family. A Shadow on the Household is a must read for the steadily growing number of people who know history is far more exciting and complex than the watered-down version we’ve long been offered.”
– Mary Kay Ricks, author of Escape on the Pearl: the Heroic Bid for Freedom on the Underground Railroad