Behind the Scenes: or Thirty Years a Slave and Four Years in the White House was first published in 1868 and is considered one of the most candid and poignant slave narratives. Author Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley writes about her teenage years; working as a slave for the Rev. Robert Burwell in Hillsborough; NC. He is thought by many historians to have been Keckley s half-brother. The Burwells had twelve children and ran an academy for girls. She writes about mistreatment and violence visited upon her by Rev. and Mrs. Burwell; and the unwelcome sexual advances and eventual rape by one of the town s white citizens. After Keckley gave birth to a son; she and her baby were sent to live with Burwell s sister.Born into slavery; Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley endured untold hardships at the hands of her master and half-brother Robert Burwell in Hillsborough; North Carolina. She eventually purchased freedom for herself and that of her son in the 1850s and is now remembered as an entrepreneur; fashion designer; abolitionist; educator; writer; and community activist. Self-reliant and educated; Keckley used her dressmaking skills to set up a successful business in the pre-Civil War Washington D.C.; where she became the modiste of choice for many of the most fashionable women in the nation s capital. Her talents and enterprising nature eventually led her to become seamstress to Mary Todd Lincoln and confidante to both Mary and Abraham Lincoln. After the assassination of President Lincoln; Keckley s friendship with Mary Todd Lincoln eventually shifted into one of caretaker; as the former first lady s financial troubles mounted and her mental health declined. In an effort to buoy their financial fortunes and to balance Lincoln s battered public image; Keckley wrote Behind the Scenes: or; Thirty Years a Slave and Four Years in the While House. It is considered both a slave narrative and; in the words of historian Williams Andrews; the first major text to represent the interests and aims of this nascent African American leadership class the postwar era.
#1012731 in Books Ginter Books 2013-01-03Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 11.00 x .50 x 8.50l; 1.70 #File Name: 0984611495240 pages
Review
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful. Before the B-36 and B-47; there was the B-50...By Falcon09Incredibly through description of the B-50 in all its various guises; bomber; weather recon; tanker; etc. What I've found most interesting is all that had to be done to make the a/c a credible nuclear delivery system. You want to know about the B-50 and it's nuclear role in the late 40's early 50's? This is the book. I think the organization is less than perfect (like a lot of Ginther books); but the manuscrpt and the photos (almost all black and white; but clear) are excellent. I had no idea how complex the air refueling system before the flying boom (B-50A) for the bombers was; amazing airmanship. The details here and other places is absolutely complete. Worth the price of admission to an airplane junkie like me; and of interest to anyone who'd like to fill a little chunk of history about the early US nuclear strike capability.14 of 14 people found the following review helpful. More info than you could ever useBy Dwayne A. DayLike many Ginter books this one is filled with information and photos as well as illustrations taken from various flight and maintenance manuals. There's lots of stuff here; including information on the proposed variants. The book is somewhat disorganized; and does not include a table of contents; so it is not easy to find things. But it is a great resource and very interesting.One more caution: for some reason when ordering Ginter books through the shipping has been a problem. I have experienced long waits for the books and then they are shipped in flimsy envelopes; not boxes. This is a softcover book and it will not survive well in a padded envelope. Mine arrived with two dented corners; one corner was badly dented. And requests for replacement were not fulfilled quickly. This has happened twice in a row; so it's not a fluke.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. A detailed look at the forgotten bomberBy J. boyleI wasn't sure what to expect; my other books from this series have been a mixed bag; but happily this B-50 book is great.It examines the historic background of the type (basically a long range atom-bomb carrying bomber until the B-36...and ultimately B-52 came on the scene) and describes it model by model.The model by model breakdown is very important since the type was modified for a variety of uses once its days as a front-line bomber were over.Even my usual "go to" book on Air Force aircraft (written by a Boeing authority) didn't go into this kind of detail.Lots of great photos; supplimented by parts of the pilot's handbook and service manuals.My only criticism is lack of color photgraphs...at this price there should be more than just the covers.
