Stolen: Five Free Boys Kidnapped into Slavery and Their Astonishing Odyssey Home

Stolen: Five Free Boys Kidnapped into Slavery and Their Astonishing Odyssey Home

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  • Create Date：2020-12-02 04:11:58
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Richard Bell
  • ISBN：9781501169441
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Editor Reviews

10/07/2019

University of Maryland professor Bell （We Shall Be No More） uncovers the history of the Reverse Underground Railroad in this moving account of five African-American boys kidnapped from Philadelphia and sold into slavery in 1825。 According to Bell， “child snatching was frequent， pernicious， and politically significant” in the decades after Congress banned slave imports from Africa and the Caribbean in 1808。 After being kidnapped， the boys were forced to make a 1，000-mile trek to the slave markets of Natchez， Miss。 Along the way， 10-year-old Cornelius Sinclair was sold to an Alabama cotton planter， and the kidnappers beat another boy to death。 In Rocky Springs， Miss。， 15-year-old Sam Scomp convinced a plantation owner that he and the others had been abducted， setting into motion a series of legal battles that， Bell argues， culminated in the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act， which “put the country on a collision course with civil war。” Drawing from a wealth of archival materials， Bell paints a harrowing picture of this human trafficking network and the “tens of thousands of free black people” it ensnared。 The result is a scholarly work that tells a powerful human interest story。 （Oct。）

Publishers Weekly

Reviews

，

Even though I'm fascinated with historical nonfiction I don't read a lot of it preferring to read historical fiction based on true events 。 Heart wrenching historical details given of five free boys kidnapped into slavery。 The terror they endured shows a total lack of human decency from the captor。 Brutal and sadly true a hard read。 Pub Date: 15 Oct 2019 I was given a complimentary copy。 Thank you。 All opinions expressed are my own。

Karen ，

This is a good look at the horrible dangers free Black people in the time of slavery faced - even in non-slave states。 Bell， an historian， uses the information he found on four young boys （as young as 10） to present a study of the reverse underground railroad。The particular group of kidnappers who stole the freedom of these children in Philadelphia had a long， successful， and nasty history in the early 1800s from Philadelphia to Delaware， New York， New Jersey， and Maryland of stealing men， women This is a good look at the horrible dangers free Black people in the time of slavery faced - even in non-slave states。 Bell， an historian， uses the information he found on four young boys （as young as 10） to present a study of the reverse underground railroad。The particular group of kidnappers who stole the freedom of these children in Philadelphia had a long， successful， and nasty history in the early 1800s from Philadelphia to Delaware， New York， New Jersey， and Maryland of stealing men， women， and children who were born free from the streets， loading them into small boats， and taking them to their hideout in the Delmarva Peninsula。 After collecting more free Black people， they would bind them in a coffle and force them to walk to a place where they could be sold， usually Natchez， Mississippi。 Along the way they were beaten， fed only a little， and suffered whatever abuse their captors might come up with。 Bell brings out the difficulties in enforcing the law， the deeply entrenched biases toward People of Color， the rampant practice of slavery， and the fear of being ostracized if one helped a Black person out of captivity。This is an excellent book for learning about the reverse underground railroad and the people who tried to change the outcomes for the stolen。After watching the movie HARRIET， I had an idea of the benevolent ways of Philadelphia。 This book changed that。 Early in the narration， the author's comments about the difficulty of finding information about the children stolen from a life of freedom， led me to think this was a work of fiction， so when the actual book began， I was unsure if I wanted to continue。 Because of the audio format， returning to the place where I became skeptical was too difficult。 Good thing I kept reading， since his sourwere plentiful。 One complaint， and only one， was the author's naming of each of the 4 boys every time he discussed them。 It was sort of a litany and hurt the story line， although it is not a bad way of making sure they are remembered。 。。。more

Elizabeth Higginbotham ，

Stolen: Five Free Boys Kidnapped into Slavery and their Astonishing Odyssey Home by Richard Bell is an amazing historical account of the activities of the Reverse Underground Railroad。 Bell begins with a kidnapping in 1825 in Philadelphia， where five boys were individually taken， but these frighten boys shared space and a long journey that involved walking much of the way， as well as boat travel。 These outlaws kidnaped free Black people from the North and communities south of the Mason Dixon lin Stolen: Five Free Boys Kidnapped into Slavery and their Astonishing Odyssey Home by Richard Bell is an amazing historical account of the activities of the Reverse Underground Railroad。 Bell begins with a kidnapping in 1825 in Philadelphia， where five boys were individually taken， but these frighten boys shared space and a long journey that involved walking much of the way， as well as boat travel。 These outlaws kidnaped free Black people from the North and communities south of the Mason Dixon line。 They were organized， even using mulattos to approach Black children and offer them money for odd jobs。 Then the children were placed on boats， hidden in attics and houses in isolated location until the gang members were ready to take them South。 We see how organized the Johnson-Cannon gang was， including having property in the South to ready their captives for sale。 Living in Delaware， there is talk about Patty Cannon and her gang that operated in the southern part of the state and on the peninsula， but Bell’s details fill out the story。 In Edward E。 Baptist’s The Half Has Never Been Told: Slavery and the Making of American Capitalism we learn about the coffles， the groups of enslaved people chained together to walk to new territories in the lower South。 Baptist worked from WPA Narrative interviews of formerly enslaved people。 By beginning with these kidnappings and the details of the recovery of some， Bell has the meat for a great narrative。 There is the evidence sent to the Mayor Watson， once the kidnapping was uncovered。 Most importantly the testimony in the trials that were well covered in the press in many states。 Bell can effectively use the boys’ stories to communicate the horror along with road: the beatings， confinement， poor food and arduous travel。 In foreign territory， there was no escape。 Only one boy was literate， so there is little to learn about the environment and sort out who to trust。 The story is engaging and worth reading。 Yet， I am amazed at how Bell touches on many themes in the text。 We see Philadelphia and a mayor， John Watson， working to address a major problem， as his young citizens are pulled off the street。 Black citizens call for action， as they own children disappear and families suffer the pain。 In the South， one of the boys tells， John Hamilton， the man who is about to purchase him， that he is free and was kidnapped。 Hamilton believes him， looks at his scars， and gets a lawyer， who records the people’s stories and sends materials to the mayor of Philadelphia。 It is long process， since 1820 mail services were not great。 In Southern courts， a person needed a White witness to testify to his/her freedom。 They get back to Philadelphia， tell their story and the state searches for the outlaws。 Over time， the city would pass a personal liberty law and other states anti-kidnapping laws that the South resented， which began a long process to the Fugitive Slave Act。 Bell lets us see how the South， as well as the North changes。 In the 1820s， there is tension between the regions， as the South wants people to migrate to the region and invest， but they are concerned about the bad press in terms of representations of lawlessness。 The knowledge that some enslaved people were kidnapped does not help their case。 They also feared that the illegal market would jeopardize the legal domestic slave trade， which is going on at the same time。 Relations would change over time， as slavery became essential for Southern economic development。 However， at this moment tensions and doubts worked to the kidnapped people’s advantage。 The stories of the boys are powerful and help to shape the anti-slavery message。 Many slave narrative to focus on young people。 The reality of the fragility of freedom pushed members of the Black community into self-defense。 We see more involvement with Abolition。 There is much history here。 The South would harden and resented efforts to prevent kidnapping。 Over time， the kidnappers were better integrated into the legal domestic slave trade。 Even buying papers to present their victims as legally purchased。 By 1850， the terrain is different and we are on the way to a Civil War。 During this same time period， opportunities for advancement narrow for members of the Black community。 There institutions are targets of violence。 We see more immigrants competing for work and leaving the work White men do not work to Black men。 Freedom is still fragile and there is no promise of economic advancement。 It gives us much to consider at this period in history。 。。。more

Donna ，

This is Nonfiction - True Crime set in the early 1800's。 Five free boys in Philadelphia go missing。 They were kidnapped and then sent south and sold into slavery。 This was called the reverse underground railroad。 These people made a living out of this kidnapping。 This made me wonder， "What is wrong with people？" This was a sad and tragic part of American history。 I felt for the families。 The research was thorough。 The story was told seamlessly。

Cobygirl517 ，

Just when you think slavery can't get any worse， you find out free blacks were stolen from the north and taken south to be enslaved on cotton plantations， and then after that， free blacks in the south were stolen and shipped to Africa to be slaves there。 What a cruel & vicious construct。 As for the book itself， I found it informative but also widely speculative and sparse on details。 It was also quite dry and boring， tho I think Leon Nixon did a good job narrating。 Just when you think slavery can't get any worse， you find out free blacks were stolen from the north and taken south to be enslaved on cotton plantations， and then after that， free blacks in the south were stolen and shipped to Africa to be slaves there。 What a cruel & vicious construct。 As for the book itself， I found it informative but also widely speculative and sparse on details。 It was also quite dry and boring， tho I think Leon Nixon did a good job narrating。 。。。more

Allegra ，

This book was enlightening and provides an individualized perspective of a little known industry and how it continues the idea of the profit of slavery pre-Civil War

Joel Foster ，

A good solid history of slavery in the 1820s and the Reverse Underground Railroad told from the perspective of 5 young boys kidnapped into slavery。

Faith ，

“The daily threat posed by white and black kidnappers alike haunted their neighborhoods， a constant and existential reminder of the limits of African American freedom in post-revolutionary America。”The author used letters， judicial records and newspaper articles to reconstruct the story of 5 free negro boys who were kidnapped in Philadelphia in August of 1825 and brought south to be sold into slavery。 They ranged in age from 8 to 15。 These were just 5 of many children who were either violently a “The daily threat posed by white and black kidnappers alike haunted their neighborhoods， a constant and existential reminder of the limits of African American freedom in post-revolutionary America。”The author used letters， judicial records and newspaper articles to reconstruct the story of 5 free negro boys who were kidnapped in Philadelphia in August of 1825 and brought south to be sold into slavery。 They ranged in age from 8 to 15。 These were just 5 of many children who were either violently abducted or lured with the promise of work。 They were then chained on ships and sent to one of the slave states。 Some didn’t survive the trip south， most were sold but very few were lucky enough to find their way home。 This wasn’t an adventure story; the rescue involved legal maneuvering。 Since the kidnapper gangs were naturally pretty secretive， there isn’t much of a paper trail， but I thought the author did a very good job with his research。 He was fortunate that a lawyer in Mississippi wrote a comprehensive memorandum about the boys and that newspapers reported on their testimony。 This was a compelling story。 The book has a few pictures and almost 50% of the kindle file is comprised of endnotes。 Of particular interest to me was the fact that one of the boys was an escaped slave from a New Jersey plantation。 His family had at one time been owned by a man named John Kline。 The author confirmed this from a history of 2 counties， in one of which I was born。 That aspect of the story was a shocker to me。 In fact， I lived on Kline’s Mill Road。 Somehow this history of New Jersey never made it into classroom discussions。 I received a free copy of this book from the publisher。 。。。more

Hannah ，

Interesting to read of the reverse Underground Railroad。 It was hard to read as it was more factual and less novel like。 But still interesting nonetheless。

Richard ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I am a big fan of the history of the American civil war。 But not just the war itself but its numerous causes。 STOLEN ，very skillfully， puts a microscope on one of those causes: slavery， as seen through the eyes of 5 free African American boys who were kidnapped from their homes in Philadelphia in the early 1800s and transported to slave states in the south and sold and resold as slaves。 Their stories of beatings， terror， torture， and food and water deprivation， are absolutely heartbreaking。 As t I am a big fan of the history of the American civil war。 But not just the war itself but its numerous causes。 STOLEN ，very skillfully， puts a microscope on one of those causes: slavery， as seen through the eyes of 5 free African American boys who were kidnapped from their homes in Philadelphia in the early 1800s and transported to slave states in the south and sold and resold as slaves。 Their stories of beatings， terror， torture， and food and water deprivation， are absolutely heartbreaking。 As their histories unfold， the author pauses to shine a light on the social， economic， and political realities of the day。 Everyone has heard of the underground railway- a system used to secretly transport slaves to the free states of the north and also into Canada。 The author now vividly describes the “REVERSE Underground Railroad”。 The reader is introduced to actual companies formed to， sometimes in the dead of night， specifically steal free black human beings in the big cities of the north， transport， and sell and resell them for huge profits in the slave states。 And wow， was there profits —-sometimes。One name among many who profited from this practice was Andrew Jackson who many years later was elected president of the United States， indicating how socially acceptable this proactive practice was at that time。The author follows the boys as far as he could follow their recorded lives and then suggests possible conclusions。 STOLEN is a fascinating retelling of a dark era in U。S。 history from a very individual and personal perspective as well as an authentic historical view。 Well written， well researched， and difficult to put down。 。。。more

Janet ，

In October 2019 this book was reviewed on NPR radio。 I marked it as something I wanted to read back then。 This was way before the pandemic， George Floyd’s murder， and Black Lives Matter。 What an amazing book to be reading now。 Everyone should read this book。 It gives an in-depth history of the reality of Philadelphia and the Sourh in the early 1800s to mid 1800s。

Juanita Johnson ，

An excellent read。 Slavery was a heinous event。 People choose what to believe。 These people were stolen。 People， both black and white， moved to ensure that the people were returned to their homes。 This is a true story that reveals the nature of individuals both good and bad。

Dynah Zale ，

The Reverse Underground Railrod3 1/2 starsI would recommend this book be made into a movie。 Not that I haven’t heard about free blacks being sold back into slavery but this book provided so much detail about an era I’m so familiar with， but a topic not often written about。 （Plus my home town is mentioned in the book ） Even in the early 1800’s when you think that justice will prevail slaveholders and kidnappers who are labeled as criminals are time and time again set free。 （ sound familiar） This The Reverse Underground Railrod3 1/2 starsI would recommend this book be made into a movie。 Not that I haven’t heard about free blacks being sold back into slavery but this book provided so much detail about an era I’m so familiar with， but a topic not often written about。 （Plus my home town is mentioned in the book ） Even in the early 1800’s when you think that justice will prevail slaveholders and kidnappers who are labeled as criminals are time and time again set free。 （ sound familiar） This is another sad tale of slavery but the worst part of this is that most of these crimes were against children。 。。。more

Amina ，

I have learned so much about the reverse underground railroad。 It was important to read the stories of what happened to these boys and other people's stories which were scattered in between。 However I was thinking this book was just going to be about the what happened to these boys。 Instead the stories were interrupted multiple times which prolonged the story for no reason。

Sandy Thomas ，

Easy read， but hard subject matter to digest。 Grateful to Bell for compiling this necessary narrative about the Reverse Underground Railroad， a historical institution and a piece of US history that should be taught about in schools。 Overall， it was a decent attempt at providing a fair depiction of slaveowners and their apologists。

Jill ，

A wonderful book。 An important part of history that most of us have never learned about。

Deanne Patterson ，

Even though I'm fascinated with historical nonfiction I don't read a lot of it preferring to read historical fiction based on true events 。Heart wrenching historical details given of five free boys kidnapped into slavery。The terror they endured shows a total lack of human decency from the captor。Brutal and sadly true a hard read。Pub Date: 15 Oct 2019 I was given a complimentary copy。 Thank you。All opinions expressed are my own。

Sarah ，

http://www。bookwormblues。net/2020/06/。。。I’ve been pretty interested in US history recently。 I spent a lot of last year reading biographies of presidents， which is something a lot of people do， but like， I never thought I’d read a book about James A。 Garfield and get excited about it， if you know what I mean。 This year， with all the stuff going on， and for research for a book I’m getting ready to write， I’ve been focusing on some more specific points of history， rather than people。 The way I came http://www。bookwormblues。net/2020/06/。。。I’ve been pretty interested in US history recently。 I spent a lot of last year reading biographies of presidents， which is something a lot of people do， but like， I never thought I’d read a book about James A。 Garfield and get excited about it， if you know what I mean。 This year， with all the stuff going on， and for research for a book I’m getting ready to write， I’ve been focusing on some more specific points of history， rather than people。 The way I came across this book was pretty random。 I’ve been doing research into the American prison system， and for whatever reason， this book just flitted across one of my Google searches。 I said， “Well， that looks cool” and immediately downloaded the audiobook from my library’s website。 Stolen tells the harrowing story of five kidnapped boys between the ages of 8 and 16， and their journey from the free north， into the slave-rich deep south。 The story of how these boys were caught was roughly the same for each of them， with a few deviations here or there。 These boys were all vulnerable for one reason or another。 Alone and desperate/hungry， they were lured by another black man， whom they considered one of their own， for a job， or food， or in a few cases， abducted outright。 Led away from what they knew， they were either taken into a ship off the coast， and then beaten and chained and kept there， before their southern journey began。 Their journey south took about four months， and a lot of it was spent walking barefoot across rugged terrain while chained in a line， before being sold into slavery once they got to their destination。 In the early 1800’s， it was nearly unheard of for white men to fight for black， and truly， that’s what it took to get four of the five boys in this book back: a fight。 The mayor of Philadelphia （where they were all taken from） working in conjunction with four white men in the south。 Unfortunately， one of the boys taken was never returned， and he remained a slave for the rest of his life。 Three of the boys who were returned were allowed to testify on their own behalf against their captors， which was absolutely unheard of at the time （as black people were refused the right to testify on their own behalf。）A lot of research went into this book， though at the very start the author makes it clear that a whole lot of what he learned， and a whole lot of what happens hinges on two letters and a newspaper article that pulled all these loose facts together into one cohesive， meaningful narrative。 That being said， the work he must have done to parse out the lives and stories of these boys， including the bits that he infers due to the information he had and likely practices in the areas at the times things took place， was painstaking and incredibly well done。We know a lot about the Underground Railroad， and those people who risked so much to bring slaves from the South， up North。 We know next to nothing about the Reverse Underground Railroad， and that’s truly what this book is about， that dark operation， where people worked in the other direction， bringing free black men and women， often through kidnapping and coercion， from free states in the North， to be sold into （most often） a lifetime of slavery in the deep South。 This book truly is focusing on an aspect of the slave trade in the United States I knew absolutely nothing about before now， told through the harrowing saga， and often painful journey of five boys who were victims of the Reverse Underground Railroad。 The Reverse Underground Railroad was a criminal operation， and so not much is known about it， nor are there many records left from the people who trafficked in this way， which makes the telling of this aspect of history， and the learning of it hard for both people like me， who are curious， and a challenge for authors like Richard Bell， who are working to shine a light on this particular aspect of American history。 Bell is quite clear from the outset that there were numerous remarkable aspects of the story he’s telling in this book， which make it easier for him to tell it， not the least of which is that four of the five boys were brought back， and three were given a voice at a time where that was nearly unheard of。 This makes their stories a bit easier to tell than so many others who were likely trafficked， and lost to history。The fact remains， the Reverse Underground Railroad was absolutely a thriving operation where men working on behalf of slavers in the south often waited in cities like Philadelphia for young black men and women who looked like they had a lot of working life left in them， and few attachments。 These men and women would be taken， secreted to slavers to the south， resulting in a life of servitude。 The people who worked on the Reverse Underground Railroad are not celebrated。 Their names， often as not， are not remembered。 There are no Harriet Tubmans on the Reverse Underground Railroad。 This thriving operation worked right under the noses of so many Americans at the time， who either did not see what was happening， or chose not to， or some mixture of both， and yet， countless lives were destroyed， unalterably in most cases。 It did take me some time to get into this book， but soon the stories of these boys took off， and I was swept along。 The narrator， Leon Nixon， does a fantastic job reading this book。 He’s easy to listen to， and something about the cadence of his voice was almost hypnotizing to me。 Between that， and the story itself， I had a very， very hard time turning this book off when I needed to focus on other things。 The book itself isn’t terribly long。 The narration of it took a touch over seven hours， which is much shorter than my usual listens， however， a lot is covered in these pages， and after the initial setup of the details， the North vs。 South culture at the time this took place， and the struggles so many young freed black men and women face in towns like Philadelphia， as well as outlining the basis for the Reverse Underground Railroad and how it functioned， the story really took off。 The author lays out his research flawlessly， and is clear about when he is inferring something based on the information he has at hand and/or circumstantial evidence。 Stolen tells the story of five boys taken on the Reverse Underground Railroad， and the ordeal to find them， and get them back。 At the end of the day， I was glad I read this book， but I was ultimately left feeling really cold。 Cold， because I wonder how many lives were ruined due to the Reverse Underground Railroad。 Cold， because I wonder how many stories aren’t told。 Cold， because this is a dark piece of American history， and I think more people should know about it。 。。。more

Rowan Haldeman ，

2。7Richard Bell could have made this book 130 less pages。 The entire beginning and start of the middle was God awful boring。 The majority included suggestions and hypothetical conclusions from Bell which irritated me。A direct quote from the book showing an example of the suggestions talking about one of the young boys Enos“He was not yet 15， so he served just two days behind bars。 After that， his trail is difficult to follow。 Perhaps he made his way by picking pockets， breaking in entering， or f 2。7Richard Bell could have made this book 130 less pages。 The entire beginning and start of the middle was God awful boring。 The majority included suggestions and hypothetical conclusions from Bell which irritated me。A direct quote from the book showing an example of the suggestions talking about one of the young boys Enos“He was not yet 15， so he served just two days behind bars。 After that， his trail is difficult to follow。 Perhaps he made his way by picking pockets， breaking in entering， or fencing stolen goods。 Or perhaps he found honest work， married well， and settled down” （p。 230）I don’t understand why he has to add suggestions at the end， why he can’t leave it at the fact alone。Also within the story there was a lot of loose ends， the investigative information was lost， very little information on the children， and lost track of key individuals。 Despite the low rating I did enjoy several parts of the story。 There was a fear of the unknown for the young trafficked boys whether they would survive or not， and happiness。 In the end， these boys stories had a major impact on anti-slavery abolitionist going into the Civil War， it was interesting seeing the testimonies how they changed the views of southerners and even slave owners。 。。。more

Jennifer Burnett ，

I usually stick to WWII fiction so I was kind of nervous giving this one a try。 A completely different topic than I’m used to and I loved it。 I had never heard about the reverse Underground Railroad。 That’s a part of this countries history they want to keep hidden I suspect。 This should be taught in school。 Since reading this book and homeschooling while school has been out， it has been taught in my “school” in my home。 Thank you for allowing me to read this book。 I’d give it 10 stars if I could I usually stick to WWII fiction so I was kind of nervous giving this one a try。 A completely different topic than I’m used to and I loved it。 I had never heard about the reverse Underground Railroad。 That’s a part of this countries history they want to keep hidden I suspect。 This should be taught in school。 Since reading this book and homeschooling while school has been out， it has been taught in my “school” in my home。 Thank you for allowing me to read this book。 I’d give it 10 stars if I could。 。。。more

Rosalind ，

This is an incredibly thorough history of what happened to five young boys stolen by the Reverse Underground Railroad。 It is solid， well documented history with speculation and inference clearly differentiated。 I thought I knew something about the people who went in search of runaway slaves， who were known to take free people to sell down south。 I did not know there were bands of criminals who made their living solely by kidnapping free people to sell。 Their ruthlessness and cruelty is horrifyin This is an incredibly thorough history of what happened to five young boys stolen by the Reverse Underground Railroad。 It is solid， well documented history with speculation and inference clearly differentiated。 I thought I knew something about the people who went in search of runaway slaves， who were known to take free people to sell down south。 I did not know there were bands of criminals who made their living solely by kidnapping free people to sell。 Their ruthlessness and cruelty is horrifying to read about。 That applies also to the southerners who knowingly purchased these young people and others。 This illegal， and increasingly seen as immoral， behavior was the response to the southward and western expansion of settlement as mid-Atlantic， eastern seaboard states' land became exhausted and there was more money to be made in sugar and cotton。 Slave labor was in high demand and slaves were no longer imported from Africa or the Caribbean。 Heartening， was the willingness of some whites to support abolition and the defense of free blacks。 The Philadelphia mayor was an excellent example of this。 Much of the white support for the cause came from the Quaker Friends community。 The success they had with the four boys who did survive their ordeal and return to Philadelphia was remarkable and was possible because of two white southerners who were willing to work with them。 The surprise for me was how much of this was done through the existing legal system， even though that was stacked against non-whites in the south。 It was wonderful to find out that the boys were allowed to testify in court against their kidnappers when they were rescued back home。 Justice was， if not completely， at least， partially served。The separation of children from their families struck a nerve even with white citizens， and the boys' case was widely publicized and employed to popularize abolitionist sentiment and to stigmatize not only the Reverse RR， but also "legitimate" slave catching。I applaud Richard Bell for his efforts to so carefully document this incredible story and for telling it so well。 For those of us living in Philadelphia， and familiar with the DelMarVa peninsula it is especially compelling。Here is a link to the author talking about the Reverse Underground RR。 https://www。youtube。com/watch？v=lyu3h。。。 。。。more

Edie Brown ，

A wonderful tale of the "Reverse" Underground Railroad。 Do the 5 free boys kidnapped from Philadelphia to the South get back home？

Sharon Dorival ，

Slow readIt pains to read the plight of my ancestors。 Well documented book。 Educational and resourceful history of a people misfortunes。

Charnetta Brown-Griffin ，

Wow！ What a book！ It totally makes sense that people would have the audacity to steal freemen。 :（。

Kelley ，

Very specific details about the reverse underground railroad。 The cruelty is heartbreaking， but this story also includes the work of those who fought for the freedom and safety of African Americans。 I listened to the audio version。

Susan Quenneville ，

Although this book is based on true life events and would have captured my full attention under normal circumstances， I was unable to give this the time and thorough reading it truly deserved。 I’m caught up by the world events of Covid-19， my own extended family’s drama and need something light to take me away from my worries and anxieties。 My apologies to the author。 😔

Elizabeth ，

I got this book because I heard the author speak on the subject of Harriet Tubman and Harriet Beecher Stowe and this book was mentioned。 I rarely read nonfiction， let alone superbly researched and footnoted nonfiction。 Some of it was boring （such as the whole chapter about who was in the kidnapping ring）。 And I'm not sure I bought the impact of the stolen boys' return on history。 But the story was definitely worth reading， bringing to the light how many people were--if not outright participants I got this book because I heard the author speak on the subject of Harriet Tubman and Harriet Beecher Stowe and this book was mentioned。 I rarely read nonfiction， let alone superbly researched and footnoted nonfiction。 Some of it was boring （such as the whole chapter about who was in the kidnapping ring）。 And I'm not sure I bought the impact of the stolen boys' return on history。 But the story was definitely worth reading， bringing to the light how many people were--if not outright participants in the exploitation of their fellow men， women， and children--colluding to a lesser or greater degree in keeping people of color down and away from the fruits of this country's development， the very people who made it possible by the sweat of their brow and their very blood。 。。。more

Kirsten Barton ，

The narrative really puts you back in time。 I actually cried at the author's description of what it was like to research and tell the story while being a father of young kids。 Heartbreaking for our collective humanity， and we need to share this story of our country's history more often。

Dee Halzack ，

Another piece of history I was not aware of。 It seems "Twelve Years a Slave" was not an aberration。 After the international slave trade was forbidden in the US， a lively trade in kidnapped free black people developed。 Often it was children who were stolen。 This book focuses on 5 of them。 In fact， outrage over this case led to passage of laws intended to protect the rights of free blacks， which lead to passage of the Fugitive Slave Act （once paid for， their southern masters did not want to let th Another piece of history I was not aware of。 It seems "Twelve Years a Slave" was not an aberration。 After the international slave trade was forbidden in the US， a lively trade in kidnapped free black people developed。 Often it was children who were stolen。 This book focuses on 5 of them。 In fact， outrage over this case led to passage of laws intended to protect the rights of free blacks， which lead to passage of the Fugitive Slave Act （once paid for， their southern masters did not want to let them go， even if they had been kidnapped out of freedom）， which is said to have been the greatest contributor to the Civil War。Developed from one specific original source， the book is a true tale， well written， with lots of suspense。 It fills in a missing piece of the history of slavery in the country， an ignoble piece。I recommend it to those interested in the full history of slavery and race relations in this country。 。。。more

Patreesha ，

I'm glad I read this very well researched book on a topic that needs to be explored -- the reverse underground railroad。 Unfortunately the title is hype and is not an accurate description of what is mostly discussed。 Plus， this book is in serious need of editing and restructuring。Even so， it's worth a read。 "Stolen" could easily have gotten 5 stars。 Although a bit of a slog， don't skip the lengthy notes in the back -- there are some real gems in there。

Rosemary ，

Very interesting。