The Devil's Half Acre The Devil's Half Acre

The Devil's Half Acre

The Untold Story of How One Woman Liberated the South's Most Notorious Slave Jail

    • 4.6 • 5 Ratings
    • $17.99

Publisher Description

The inspiring true story of an enslaved woman who liberated an infamous slave jail and transformed it into one of the nation’s first HBCUs 

In The Devil’s Half AcreNew York Times bestselling author Kristen Green draws on years of research to tell the extraordinary and little-known story of young Mary Lumpkin, an enslaved woman who blazed a path of liberation for thousands. She was forced to have the children of a brutal slave trader and live on the premises of his slave jail, known as the “Devil’s Half Acre.” When she inherited the jail after the death of her slaveholder, she transformed it into “God’s Half Acre,” a school where Black men could fulfill their dreams. It still exists today as Virginia Union University, one of America’s first Historically Black Colleges and Universities.  

A sweeping narrative of a life in the margins of the American slave trade, The Devil’s Half Acre brings Mary Lumpkin into the light. This is the story of the resilience of a woman on the path to freedom, her historic contributions, and her enduring legacy. 

GENRE
History
RELEASED
2022
April 12
LANGUAGE
EN
English
LENGTH
352
Pages
PUBLISHER
Basic Books
SELLER
Hachette Digital, Inc.
SIZE
19
MB

Customer Reviews

hgr&bge$ ,

Well worth reading

As a “northerner” I gained new insight into the lives of individuals living during this time. It’s not like they taught us in school and now they aren’t talking about it at all! We need to hear this so we don’t repeat it. Such fortitude these people had. God bless them. I especially walked away with a new understanding of the removal of the statues on Monument Ave in Richmond, VA. Everyone should read this book, young and old. It’s very well researched. Ms. Green is not only an outstanding researcher, but also an excellent writer. I’m about to read it again and I never do that!

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