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 master--and 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 Newsom's murder--the defendant in a landmark courtroom battle that threatened to undermine the very foundations of the South's most cherished institution. Based on court records; correspondences and newspaper accounts past and present; Celia; A Slave is a powerful masterwork of passion and scholarship--a stunning literary achievement that brilliantly illuminates one of the most extraordinary events in the long; dark history of slavery in America.
#944199 in Books Warren; Louis S. 2006-12-05 2006-12-05Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.01 x 1.63 x 5.20l; 1.37 #File Name: 0375726586672 pages
Review
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Read Don Russell's Buffalo Bill instead.By Rick PickrenVery disappointing. Warren's thesis; that W.F. Cody was a complete fraud; is typical of the trend of current historians to scathingly criticize and/or debunk American heroes. In the first 25 pages; Warren attacks young Will's participation in the Pony Express as a complete fable. The twisted logic he uses to arrive at this conclusion is weak and unconvincing. Repeatedly throughout the tome; Warren; annoyingly and unsuccessfully; attempts to psychoanalyze Cody's family relationships and marriage. Although Warren introduces some interesting backstory to the narrative of Cody's life; it does little to overcome his overall tenure that Buffalo Bill was nothing more than a clever and talented circus performer. Not recommended. Read Don Russell's The Lives and Legends of Buffalo Bill instead.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. The many sides of a great showmanBy Joan LittlefieldA most complete biography of the period and this amazing showman!The book arrived on time and in excellent (like new) condition.It will take me a while read the whole book. It is the kind that you can leave and get back to easily.Anyone with an interest in the West at this time as well as the man would get a lot out of reading this book.44 of 46 people found the following review helpful. When the Legend becomes fact; print the legendBy Wayne KleinAn entertaining combination of history and biography Louis Warren's book manages to capture the elusive spirit of William Cody aka Buffalo Bill. Bill was a combination of hero; poser and entertainer as he frequently told tall tales linking him to the archetypical western hero Wild Bill Hickock. He dressed like Wild Bill; claimed to be his cousin (although the two weren't related Cody did meet Wild Bill at a young age and did travel with him later). Cody would variously claim that he was the youngest pony express rider (he neve rode for the pony express); was a spy during the Civil War (he wasn't) and was at many of Wild Bill's most famous exploits (he wasn't). It's ironic then that Bill Cody felt the need to embelish an already heroic career as a tracker and guide during the infamous Indian Wars. Cody lived during an uncertain time in the west and his role as a "white" Indian scout made people more comfortable that he was one of "us" who could fight and befriend one of "them" (i.e.; the Indians whatever group they belonged to) unlike Wild Bill or other well known scouts who had reputations for violence and/or consorting (meaning marrying an Native American Indian)with the "enemy". Warren provides a fair balanced account of these troubled prejudiced times and what those on the frontier did to survive.Why did Bill Cody feel the need to tell tall tales about his career when he wasn't the charlatan that many trackers and guides were? Cody had that need to be larger than life and learned by observing people like P. T. Barnum that a little bit of truth and a lot of hokum go a long way. As Maxwell Scott (Carleton Young) states in "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance";"When the Legend Becomes fact; Print the Legend". Perhaps Cody felt the facts weren't enough and that he needed to become a legend so that he might be recognized as such during his life time and after he died. Either way; this man who was an odd combination of hero and entertainer entered the the realm of legends. Interestingly; Buffalo Bill and Wild Bill Hickock were frequently confused as the same person by people of the time.This marvelous book covers Cody's youth; his stretch as a scout; entertainer with his Wild West Show (which did feature Wild Bill Hickock at one time although Hickock supposedly became annoyed at one point by Cody's attempts to be like him)and later as a popular celebrity who embodied the lost days of the wild west. Featuring illustrations; Warren's book brings to life a lost era in America when heroism and legends became far more than stories to be told by camp fires late into the night.
