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The Price of a Child
With Price of a Child--the story of Ginnie Pryor (cook, mistress and servant to a Virginia planter) and her struggle with slavery in 1855--Cary continues has created a work that elevates the reputation she created with Black Ice, her memoir which won her comparisons to Maya Angelou and Richard Wright. In a novel that examines the price of freedom and the value of a child's life, Price of a Child is "a stunning achievement...a deeply engrossing story.... Cary's impeccable research and seamless narrative carry us along" (Philadelphia Inquirer).
336 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
75 people are currently reading
678 people want to read
About the author
Lorene Cary
7 books87 followersLorene Cary (born 1956, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American author, educator, and social activist.
Cary grew up in a working-class neighborhood in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1972, she was invited to the elite St. Paul's boarding school in New Hampshire, on scholarship, entering in St. Paul's second year of co-education as one of the less than ten African-American female students. She spent two years at St. Paul's, graduating in 1974. She earned an undergraduate degree and her MA from the University of Pennsylvania in 1978.
She was awarded a Thouron Fellowship, enabling her to study at the Sussex University in the United Kingdom, where she received an MA in Victorian literature.
After finishing college, Cary worked in publishing for several magazines, including Time, TV Guide, and Newsweek. She also worked as a freelance writer for Essence, American Visions, Mirabella, Obsidian, and the Philadelphia Inquirer. In 1982, Cary returned to St. Paul's as a teacher. She is currently a senior lecturer in creative writing at the University of Pennsylvania.
After writing a 1988 article about her experience at St. Paul's, she published a longer memoir, Black Ice, which was published in 1991 by Alfred A. Knopf.
In 1995, Cary published her first novel, The Price of a Child. It is based on the escape of Jane Johnson, a slave from North Carolina who escaped to freedom with her two sons while briefly in Philadelphia with her master and his family.
In 1998, Cary published a second novel, Pride, which explores the experiences of four contemporary black middle-class women.
Cary’s first Young Adult book, FREE!, was a collection of non-fiction accounts related to the Underground Railroad, and published by Third World Press/New City Press in 2005.
Cary wrote the script for the videos of The President's House: Freedom and Slavery in the Making of a New Nation, a 2010 exhibition in The President's House in Philadelphia.
On April 19, Cary published her third novel If Sons, Then Heirs.
In 1998 Cary founded Art Sanctuary, an African-American arts and letters organization devoted to presenting regional and national talent in the literary, visual and performing arts. Art Sanctuary annually hosts an African American arts festival, during which writers discuss their work with up to 1,500–2,000 students, and another 2,000–3,000 people participate in panels, workshops, the basketball tournament, teachers' symposium, Family Pavilion, main stage, and other events.
(from Wikipedia)
Cary grew up in a working-class neighborhood in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1972, she was invited to the elite St. Paul's boarding school in New Hampshire, on scholarship, entering in St. Paul's second year of co-education as one of the less than ten African-American female students. She spent two years at St. Paul's, graduating in 1974. She earned an undergraduate degree and her MA from the University of Pennsylvania in 1978.
She was awarded a Thouron Fellowship, enabling her to study at the Sussex University in the United Kingdom, where she received an MA in Victorian literature.
After finishing college, Cary worked in publishing for several magazines, including Time, TV Guide, and Newsweek. She also worked as a freelance writer for Essence, American Visions, Mirabella, Obsidian, and the Philadelphia Inquirer. In 1982, Cary returned to St. Paul's as a teacher. She is currently a senior lecturer in creative writing at the University of Pennsylvania.
After writing a 1988 article about her experience at St. Paul's, she published a longer memoir, Black Ice, which was published in 1991 by Alfred A. Knopf.
In 1995, Cary published her first novel, The Price of a Child. It is based on the escape of Jane Johnson, a slave from North Carolina who escaped to freedom with her two sons while briefly in Philadelphia with her master and his family.
In 1998, Cary published a second novel, Pride, which explores the experiences of four contemporary black middle-class women.
Cary’s first Young Adult book, FREE!, was a collection of non-fiction accounts related to the Underground Railroad, and published by Third World Press/New City Press in 2005.
Cary wrote the script for the videos of The President's House: Freedom and Slavery in the Making of a New Nation, a 2010 exhibition in The President's House in Philadelphia.
On April 19, Cary published her third novel If Sons, Then Heirs.
In 1998 Cary founded Art Sanctuary, an African-American arts and letters organization devoted to presenting regional and national talent in the literary, visual and performing arts. Art Sanctuary annually hosts an African American arts festival, during which writers discuss their work with up to 1,500–2,000 students, and another 2,000–3,000 people participate in panels, workshops, the basketball tournament, teachers' symposium, Family Pavilion, main stage, and other events.
(from Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
March 20, 2015
the author had good intentions as far as the storyline but the way the story was executed was very dull.
June 20, 2024
A lovely book that is a full range of emotions. The overall scene of slavery made breaks one’s heart. Yet, the way the family reached deep inside and were able to touch one another in the midst of all this pain was unique.
June 25, 2011
Bought this book on a whim at the Philly AIDS Thrift Shop (90% off all books? yes, please). I read it in its entirety in a 16 hour journey from Paris to Philly. Needless to say, the book definitely helped those hours fly by.
I really enjoyed this book. I especially liked that it takes place in Philadelphia and gave a good insight about how slavery was viewed in the US, and especially PA, in 1855. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is interested in historical fiction or to anyone who enjoys learning about Philly's past.
I really enjoyed this book. I especially liked that it takes place in Philadelphia and gave a good insight about how slavery was viewed in the US, and especially PA, in 1855. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is interested in historical fiction or to anyone who enjoys learning about Philly's past.
November 12, 2014
Although slow at times, I found this book to be filled with beautiful prose, vivid characters, and striking statements of truth that opened my eyes in new ways, as well as a lot more historical back-ground on this time period and area of slavery; Lorene Cary certainly did do her research, and has a talent for sliding historical facts into the story without you really realizing it (until your Humanities teacher makes you look the stuff up). I definitely recommend it.
April 27, 2012
I'm about half way through, and it's not as good as I really wanted it to be. But then I wonder, do I hold historical novels about slavery to higher standards? How does a person write really well about this enormous traumatic injustice that went on for centuries? And I hate to say it, but how does one write about slavery after Toni Morrison wrote about slavery?
That said, I just think it's thin. I don't much care about the romance plot. I want Mercer to be happy, but I don't want to read about that. I want to learn more about life and about what it means to "pay" a child for freedom. Then I think, am I no different from all those white abolitionist ladies who only want to hear about drama and heartache? Why can't I just let Mercer find love and happiness?
Finished a few days ago. Disappointing. I don't feel like it did the necessary work to earn the ending, which could have been much more moving if that narrative arc were more carefully crafted.
Sigh.
Finished: a resounding meh.
That said, I just think it's thin. I don't much care about the romance plot. I want Mercer to be happy, but I don't want to read about that. I want to learn more about life and about what it means to "pay" a child for freedom. Then I think, am I no different from all those white abolitionist ladies who only want to hear about drama and heartache? Why can't I just let Mercer find love and happiness?
Finished a few days ago. Disappointing. I don't feel like it did the necessary work to earn the ending, which could have been much more moving if that narrative arc were more carefully crafted.
Sigh.
Finished: a resounding meh.
February 5, 2015
Two stars - it was okay. The story itself was good, but it got lost in the telling. For exemple, I found myself frustrated when, after Ginnie finally climbed out from beneath the blankets and straw in the wagon to breathe freely, the narration turned toward the Quick family. These were Ginnie's first real moments of freedom, but the author chose this moment to introduce them. I might add that there were so many members in this family that I could never quite keep them all straight, apart from Harriet and perhaps Manny and Della. I wonder if there wouldn't have been a better way to introduce them, perhaps fewer at a time instead of all at once.
I also feel that Ginnie's pain at leaving Bennie behind wasn't given sufficient recognition. I would have thought her first move, once free, would have been to ask the members of the Underground Railroad about bringing him north. As it is, I almost feel that the book's title was not justified, although I did like the ending. It was realistic, instead of perfect.
I also feel that Ginnie's pain at leaving Bennie behind wasn't given sufficient recognition. I would have thought her first move, once free, would have been to ask the members of the Underground Railroad about bringing him north. As it is, I almost feel that the book's title was not justified, although I did like the ending. It was realistic, instead of perfect.
June 10, 2011
The story was compelling, the characters were not, the writing difficult to read. The text came off as being preachy, which is fine if that is what the book is supposed to do. Although this is a difficult subject to write about, I have read other books on the same topic and come away feeling as though I was a part of the book. I know I was supposed to care about all of these characters, but they weren't written for us to know them, only to read about them.
March 23, 2015
I loved the beginning of the book, but it quickly turned into a story about the Quick Family and not the child Mercer left behind. If this in fact based on a true story, I would like to know if Mercer ever found Bennie.
Read
November 6, 2010I loved this read
August 26, 2013
This is a very good book. I like this author and I recommend it.
Want to read
July 31, 2014One book one Philadelphia. 2003?
January 10, 2016
A good look at the situation of slavery through the eyes of Mercer Grey (aka Virginia Pryor) as she escapes while traveling through Philadelphia.
October 3, 2022
I got about halfway through this book. I really wanted to like it. Great premise for a story and a history I was interested in. And I got to meet the author, who is an amazing woman. At her talk, she said not to be put off by the first chapter--that it was a little slow because she wanted the main character to be viewed as an object first, the way a slave woman would be. (As a writer and reader, I wondered if that was a good idea--making your first chapter deliberately slow is how you lose readers, and if you have to explain it in your talks, that's worse.) But I gave the book more than a fair chance. The storytelling just didn't improve.
Every new character is introduced with several pages of back story that puts the main plot on hold. Not flashbacks with dialogue or action that might have been interesting, but a narrative bio in 3rd person. And there are A LOT of characters, all brought on quickly, so there are A LOT of backstories. Once the introductions were over, I thought, okay finally the plot can get going, but no. Each encounter between characters (maybe a page or 2 of dialogue or action) is followed by several pages of the thoughts of one or more of the characters, again in 3rd person narrative. I never felt like I could really get close to the characters or be in the room with them, and I never understood their function in the story. By page 150, I don't think I had read more than 25 or 30 pages of actual main plot. And all the back stories and personal thoughts didn't help me like or even just understand any of the characters. Jumping in and out of all their heads, for me, hindered the storytelling.
I'm really disappointed because I've read about the history of William Still and how he freed slaves in Philadelphia, and this book was based on one of his cases. I would have loved to have heard more about him, but he only appears briefly in the first half of the book. I would have loved to have gotten to know the main character, Ginnie/Mercer, better and sooner. Ms. Cary obviously knows her subject and her writing is good, but I never felt like the story or the characters were brought to life.
Every new character is introduced with several pages of back story that puts the main plot on hold. Not flashbacks with dialogue or action that might have been interesting, but a narrative bio in 3rd person. And there are A LOT of characters, all brought on quickly, so there are A LOT of backstories. Once the introductions were over, I thought, okay finally the plot can get going, but no. Each encounter between characters (maybe a page or 2 of dialogue or action) is followed by several pages of the thoughts of one or more of the characters, again in 3rd person narrative. I never felt like I could really get close to the characters or be in the room with them, and I never understood their function in the story. By page 150, I don't think I had read more than 25 or 30 pages of actual main plot. And all the back stories and personal thoughts didn't help me like or even just understand any of the characters. Jumping in and out of all their heads, for me, hindered the storytelling.
I'm really disappointed because I've read about the history of William Still and how he freed slaves in Philadelphia, and this book was based on one of his cases. I would have loved to have heard more about him, but he only appears briefly in the first half of the book. I would have loved to have gotten to know the main character, Ginnie/Mercer, better and sooner. Ms. Cary obviously knows her subject and her writing is good, but I never felt like the story or the characters were brought to life.
October 27, 2025
Slow to start but once it started boy did it deliver ! We lost a point on chapter 2 . The author spends the entire chapter in a colored cemetery introducing tons of characters all at once. We are bombarded with too many new people at one time . The author would have done better to introduce the characters slowly, and more organically throughout the story’s progression. None of the dialogue from that chapter was memorable, with the exception of the protagonist changing her name. The book would have done fine without it altogether . Anywho…. This book focuses on the life of a slave AFTER being liberated , and the challenges they face , as well as their life being a public figure which is atypical from other books I’ve read . There’s an emphasis on love and family . The author appeals to the reader's emotion and makes you care for the characters . Wonderful nuggets here about not whipping children , and how freedom is ultimately won through vigilance , since slaves still have fears and hardships after liberation. I loved the ending ! The author brought the story home full circle. Great book and glad I finished the course! This one gets the award for biggest change of opinion from start to finish !
May 5, 2025
In my quest to read books about Philly, or by Philadelphia authors, or both, I picked this up at Hillside Books in Chestnut Hill. It comes highly recommended and was a One Book, One Philadelphia book some time in the past.
This book was chock full of information about Philadelphia "back in the day". Though the city (and perhaps the state) had enacted a law preventing slavery, some travelers brought their enslaved people to the city when they visited or passed through. If those enslaved persons chose to leave part company while in Philadelphia, they were free, though slave hunters etc could still track them down and take them back to their former lives. This story is about one such woman, who was travelling with her "master" to South America, along with two of her children. Her youngest son remained back in Virginia, a hostage to keep her from escaping. But escape she did, with the two other children, and settled in Philadelphia. The details of the city at that time fascinated me, though I was surprised there was really very little followup regarding the child left behind.
This book was chock full of information about Philadelphia "back in the day". Though the city (and perhaps the state) had enacted a law preventing slavery, some travelers brought their enslaved people to the city when they visited or passed through. If those enslaved persons chose to leave part company while in Philadelphia, they were free, though slave hunters etc could still track them down and take them back to their former lives. This story is about one such woman, who was travelling with her "master" to South America, along with two of her children. Her youngest son remained back in Virginia, a hostage to keep her from escaping. But escape she did, with the two other children, and settled in Philadelphia. The details of the city at that time fascinated me, though I was surprised there was really very little followup regarding the child left behind.
July 12, 2022
I chose to read this novel after hearing a speaker talk about Passmore Williamson's imprisonment for freeing a slave when she and her owner were passing through Pennsylvania. This book brings the perspective of her adjustment to a legal but uncertain freedom. Glimpses of her past are revealed when she became a speaker at abolitionist meetings. It is unfortunate that the tearing apart of slave families hindered lifelong marriages and opened the door to following attractions at the moment, without regard to the implications of adultery.
November 7, 2022
I thought this was brilliantly written. Not a single sentence was wasted, and there's so much stuff that really makes you take a moment to think. The characters were all fascinating. At first, I felt like not nearly enough time was spent on her child Bennie. I thought going into the book that the story would be trying to get him back. While I do feel that more time could have been spent on it, the last sentence of the book is enough to wrap it up nicely, in my opinion. Overall, a masterfully written book.
August 7, 2024
I liked this book, but felt it sort of dragged in places. I liked the ending in that Mercer forges out on her own to start a life for herself and her children, and that although I would have liked her and Tyree to get together, he realizes his place is at home with his family. And I liked that he gave her the $500 to get Bennie back. But it really didn't focus a lot on her enslavement, but rather on what she did after she got her freedom. It was great that she went on "tour" to talk about her slavery, but I personally didn't find it that interesting.
January 19, 2021
A Virginian slave claims her freedom in Philadelphia and actualizes it, finding her name and her voice. "Mercy had come down and passed through her, like light through the window...'I have wondered many times why I left, but now that I stand here before you, I suppose I have been spared to tell the tale. I will try to tell it as best I can, ladies and gentlemen, and let truth be its own adornment.'"
June 15, 2017
Fiction
This was a 2003 One Book, One Philadelphia Pick.
Background:
Philadelphian Lorene Cary's The Price of a Child is a novel set in Pre-Civil War Philadelphia in 1855. This is the story of a young female slave who escapes from her owner while traveling through Philadelphia and uses the Underground Railroad to find freedom, reclaiming her voice and her life.
This was a 2003 One Book, One Philadelphia Pick.
Background:
Philadelphian Lorene Cary's The Price of a Child is a novel set in Pre-Civil War Philadelphia in 1855. This is the story of a young female slave who escapes from her owner while traveling through Philadelphia and uses the Underground Railroad to find freedom, reclaiming her voice and her life.
November 29, 2017
The Price of a Child
Interesting read which follows the course of a runaway slave and her children. The horrors of slavery should not surprise the reader. There are many names and family members to remember. The "cost" of freedom is high for the main character as she tries to make a new life for herself amidst the loss of her child.
Interesting read which follows the course of a runaway slave and her children. The horrors of slavery should not surprise the reader. There are many names and family members to remember. The "cost" of freedom is high for the main character as she tries to make a new life for herself amidst the loss of her child.
December 9, 2017
Sad tale of history
A well written historical saga of a time when slavery split this country like immigration does today and the conscience of a country began to evolve beyond a fear and a hate that still survives in a memory appearing even today to show us that where we've come from is not that far behind us.
A well written historical saga of a time when slavery split this country like immigration does today and the conscience of a country began to evolve beyond a fear and a hate that still survives in a memory appearing even today to show us that where we've come from is not that far behind us.
January 3, 2020
Would recommend
Would have been 5 stars if it continued. Ended too abruptly. Also, sometimes was difficult to figure out who was speaking. Did inspire me to read more about the woman the story is based on.
Would have been 5 stars if it continued. Ended too abruptly. Also, sometimes was difficult to figure out who was speaking. Did inspire me to read more about the woman the story is based on.
September 15, 2021
it was really good! a school read - the ending was suprising
during the last chapter i was like... wtf is going on but then the last page? yeah. i loved that. very nice. the implications of it all? ty lorene cary
during the last chapter i was like... wtf is going on but then the last page? yeah. i loved that. very nice. the implications of it all? ty lorene cary
August 6, 2017
I love historical fiction and this book gave a glimpse of history with depth and texture. You felt like you were observing history.
November 28, 2017
I enjoyed the story of a woman’s journey to freedom but I think it got lost in the writing. The other characters were developed so much more than Mercer. I give the book 3.5
January 18, 2018
I was not a fan of this book. I thought I would like it, but no
February 15, 2018
never grabbed my attention
April 6, 2018
I think this book had a steady emotional plot. I really liked how throughout the book there was the steady problem of slavery displayed.
September 11, 2018
Historically interesting. Love story -alas.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews