About this item
Theinspiringtrue story ofanenslaved woman who liberated an infamousslavejailandtransformeditintoone of the nation's firstHBCUsInThe Devil's Half Acre,NewYorkTimesbestselling author Kristen Greendrawson years ofresearchto tell the extraordinaryandlittle-knownstoryof youngMary Lumpkin, anenslaved woman whoblazeda pathofliberationfor thousands.Shewasforced tohave the children ofabrutalslavetraderand liveon the premises ofhisslave jail,known as the "Devil's Half Acre."Whensheinheritedthejailafter the death of her slaveholder, shetransformedit into "God's Half Acre," aschoolwhereBlack men couldfulfill theirdreams.Itstill exists today as Virginia Union University, one of America's firstHistorically BlackColleges and Universities.
About the Author
Kristen Green has worked as a journalist for two decades for papers including the Richmond Times-Dispatch, San Diego Union-Tribune, and the Boston Globe. THE DEVIL'S HALF ACRE is her second book. Her first book, SOMETHING MUST BE DONE ABOUT PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY, was a New York Times bestseller. It won the Library of Virginia literary award for nonfiction and the people's choice award. Kristen is a graduate of Mary Washington College and has a master's in public administration from Harvard Kennedy School. She lives in Richmond, Va. with her husband and two daughters. SOMETHING MUST BE DONE REVIEWS"A gripping narrative"? -New York Times?"A gift to a new generation of readers"? -The Washington Post "This intimate and candid account.... personalizes politics, jangles nerves and opens minds."? -Richmond Times-Dispatch "Green's work brims with real-life detail from the journalist's eye and ear and joins the likes of Diane McWhorter's CARRY ME HOME in further developing the dimensions of the South's desegregation struggle"? -Library Journal "Green feels compelled to stare down her past, and she does so with uncommon humanity."? -New York 1 News "A potent introduction to a nearly forgotten part of the civil rights movement and a personalized reminder of what it was truly about."? -Kirkus Reviews, (starred review) "Absorbing. . . . A merger of history both lived and studied."? -Publishers Weekly "Green has rendered a deeply moving account of historical injustice and a personal search for redemption for her family's role in it."? -Booklist, (starred review) "A vivid reminder of how things were, not so very long ago."? -Harvard Magazine
