Sharp Flashes of Lightning Come From Black Clouds: The Life of Josiah Henson

by Jamie Ferguson Kuhns

From the author: "Perhaps one of the most complete accounts of the life of a slave and the journey along the Underground Railroad came from a former enslaved person who labored in Montgomery County, Maryland. His name was Josiah Henson. In 1849, Henson, by then a citizen of Canada, published his autobiography to awaken Americans to the realities of slavery and also to earn money to purchase the freedom of his brother, enslaved in Rockville, Maryland. The trials and tribulations of his life were common for slaves. But his strong spirit and clear voice were anything but common. Henson managed to “self-manumit” (escape), only after trying to purchase his freedom. Few slaves ever dared to face the dangerous challenge of escape, whether it was fear of the unknown that stopped them, unwillingness to leave more vulnerable family behind, or the prospect of brutal punishment if they were caught."

204 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2018