PDF For Adam's Sake: A Family Saga in Colonial New England by Allegra di Bonaventura in History

Review

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful. This will be a classic.By James A. RogersThis work was not intended to be a comprehensive book about "all" New England slavery. It does; however; do an absolutely marvelous job of describing in extreme detail part of New England's experience in that area. At times it reads almost more like a novel than a history; even though it features hundreds of end notes citing her sources. Seven years ago I published a very modest book about my Rogers ancestors in nearby East Haddam; CT; who were associated with the subjects of Ms. di Bonaventura's work. I can really appreciate the years of research and tremendous effort that went into the creation of this book. I am impressed by the many historical and personal details she describes. She shows great insight into the personalities and motivations of numerous participants in her story; and really brings them to life. Her perspective on the changing moods of the slowly evolving Colonial era is also fascinating. It truly allowed me to look at the individuals and that period in a new light. I highly recommend this book.12 of 12 people found the following review helpful. A beautiful and important bookBy Grant M. Menzies"For Adam's Sake" is nominally about the three decades shared under the same roof by New London diarist Joshua Hempstead and the man he enslaved; Adam Jackson. But as fascinating as this relationship is; the book also offers an image of life in New London that takes in not just the eccentric religious reformer John Rogers and the Rogerenes; the ups and downs of landed and feckless families like the Livingstons and Lechmeres; and the lives; births and deaths of the "rude Forefathers of the hamlet"; in Thomas Gray's words; but is a compassionate examination of the least recognized of these lives; those of slaves and servants; Indian and African; and how these bondsmen negotiated their way through a world in which their hopes for better were usually countered with worse. As a history of slavery in early New England; "For Adam's Sake" is a master work all its own.8 of 8 people found the following review helpful. A gift for future generationsBy J O HempsteadAllegra di Bonaventura has written a wonderful gift to future generations. She has researched not only the Hempsteads and the Jacksons; but also many other New London families. The wonderfully written account reads like a novel; but she is careful to identify her own speculation and sets it apart from events for which she has sound backing in research. As a Hempstead who has researched the origin of Robert Hempstead; I am interested to know how she settled on Steeple Bumpstead as the English home of Robert. I found three potential reference sites.For Adam's Sake will be of interest to historians and genealogists for the indefinite future. Thank you Allegra for your wonderful gift to all of us who like vicarious experience of Colonial life. John Hempstead b. 1938.