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Summary: A Textbook Discussion of Quilts in the Underground Railroad
Review: If you are looking for a footnoted account of the flight for freedom by African American Slaves this book is for you. The author has obviously researched this topic and is most knowledgable. Her use of pictures is helpful. However, if you were wanting more of a novel describing how quilts were used to help slaves escape this is not the book for you. I enjoyed learning of the ten most recognizable quilt patterns and how they related to the flight for freedom. I will never look at a tumbling block again without thinking of its meaning.
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Summary: Can I have my money back? ((really a 0 star book))
Review: This book appears to have been hastily researched and written. The hypothesis, that quilts were used as maps/guides for escaping slaves, was never proven. This book only raises the question "could it not have been possible?" I expected much more thorough research into the Underground Railroad, and some review of personal accounts as to how quilts were used to help people escape from slavery. Overall, the information was too generally presented, and unconvincing (there are exceptions: sometimes the authors went into way too much detail on minor points). Thoroughly irritating were the authors' citing of specific pages of other books referring to specific commentary and photographs, but not including them for the readers. The authors did not prove their case, they only stated it. And it saddens me to see so many magazines and web pages espouse as fact what these writers have so poorly researched. It won't be long before this hypothesis makes it into historical textbooks as fact, and follow-on generations will be trained to believe this hypothesis as a truth.
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Summary: Where's the beef?
Review: As a piece of oral history about one family's experience, this is all well and good. As a piece of quilting history, it's a bust. Not *one* serious quilt historian except Cuesta Benberry takes this seriously. Very little *quilting* documentation, reliance on oral history rather than primary sources...most of the pictures aren't even of 19th century quilts. Anyone wishing to know about 19th century quilting would be better off reading one of Barbara Brackman's works. This book does a disservice to both African-American traditions and quilting history.
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Summary: It's a start
Review: With an interest in both quilting and Black History I expected a more convincing and more interesting treatise on the clever use of folk art to fascilitate slaves escape. Instead I found this book to be a foundation for an academic endeavor that suggests possible connections with quilt patterns and escape. I think the book merely suggests (hardly validates) the intrigue; the authors periodically contradict themselves in their theories. Glimpses of underground railroad history and struggle to freedom make it worth reading. I got the impression that Ozella got the authors started but offered little depth and support afterwards. Why?
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Summary: Disappointed
Review: It reads like a school text book, I quess I was expecting it to read more as a novel. Very factual information. The best part was about Ozella story of the underground(quilts)I thought there would be more, to me that was the best part.
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Summary: Fascinating
Review: The students I teach are intrigued by quilts, and we use Hopkinson and Ransome's SWEET CLARA AND THE FREEDOM QUILT in class. This book is a fascinating view of the same subject by two authors who clearly are dedicated to history and quilts.
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Summary: A really interesting book about quilts and african culture.
Review: I really enjoyed the book - not only the parts about quilts. I gained a real knowledge of African culture and it's use of oral histories, symbols and communications. I am very intrigue with the idea of using quilts as mnemonic devices and anticipate I will be working this idea into my own quilts.
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Summary: A great resource tool of the Underground Railroad
Review: I first learned of this book on Ophrah and ordered it the next day before it was released. I presented it to my mother who has a quilting bee at our church. She was thrilled with the book and we made two presentations for Black History Month. The information was an eye opener and just confirmed what we already knew. We are a strong, beautiful intelligent people descended from survivors of slavery. Imagine using codes and patterns to lead a people through the Underground Railroad and unto Canada and freedom. My sister and I are taking up quilting to keep the tradition alive.
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Summary: Excellent oral history
Review: Really good account of an oral history story. True, there aren't many concrete facts in this book, but not many concrete facts exist about women's day-to-day history, day-to-day African American slave history, and slave involvement in the Freedom Train. This book presents what has traditionally been an oral history story and "passes it on" to a wider audience. I thank the authors and Ozella McDaniel for letting me share in their community.
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Summary: Very, good! Pleased to read more on this subject.
Review: I have read of hints of this in other books and was pleased to read a book on the subject. I'm sure there will be those that do not think there is enough proof of the story, but it is like the American Indian it was handed down by word of mouth. I would love to have some of these quilts for our annual quilt show, I have some of the patterns but they were not made by the African Americans.
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