Celia, A Slave

"Compelling. . . a shocking tale. . . a remarkable account. . . . McLaurin succeeds admirably in using Celias story to raise larger issues about the meaning of American slavery for both blacks and whites for both women and men." New York Times Book Review In 1850 fourteen-year-old Celia became the property of Robert Newsom a prosperous and respected Missouri farmer. For the next five years she was cruelly and repeatedly molested by her abusive masterand bore him two children in the process. But in 1855 driven to the limits of her endurance Celia fought back. And at the tender age of eighteen the desperate and frightened young black woman found herself on trial for Newsoms murderthe defendant in a landmark courtroom battle that threatened to undermine the very foundations of the Souths most cherished institution. Based on court records correspondences and newspaper accounts past and present Celia A Slave is a powerful masterwork of passion and scholarshipa stunning literary achievement that brilliantly illuminates one of the most extraordinary events in the long dark history of slavery in America.