Skip to main content

My Name is Ona Judge by Suzette D. Harrison: A Book Review

 

My Name Is Ona Judge
Author: Suzette D. Harrison
Genre: Historical Fiction, Contemporary
Publisher: Bookouture
Release Date: 2022
Pages: 310
Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review
Synopsis: New Hampshire, 1796. “My name is Ona Judge, and I escaped from the household of the President of the United States. I was the favored maid of George and Martha Washington, but they deemed me a slave and thought me property, and I hear ten dollars is offered as reward for my capture. Now I must write the truth that I have lived, and tell my story…”

     Chincoteague, Virginia, present day. Rain soaks Tessa Scott as she runs from her car to the old, vine-covered property she has been called to survey. She’s too busy to accept a new job, but doing this favor for the grandmother of her childhood sweetheart delays a painful decision she must make about a future with her controlling boyfriend.


      But when Tessa finds a tattered journal carefully hidden inside the house’s ancient fireplace, the tragic story of how Ona was ripped from her mother’s arms to live and work in the palatial Mount Vernon, and the heart-shattering betrayal that led her to risk her life and run, has Tessa spellbound. Could discovering this forgotten scandal at the heart of her nation’s history force her to confront her own story? As she races to reach the final page, will anything prepare her for the desperate moment when Ona’s captors find her again? Will it inspire Tessa to take ownership of her own life and set herself free?


     A completely heartbreaking tale of love, loss and redemption, based on an astonishing true story from the founding of America. Perfect for fans of Before We Were Yours, Marie Benedict and America’s First Daughter.


     My Review: Ona Judge is famous for being President George Washington’s and First Lady Martha Washington’s runaway slave who eventually found freedom. In this historical novel, a young woman named Tessa Scott stumbles across Ona Judge’s diary. Through her diary, Ona Judge tells her own journey to freedom. The journal entries inspire Tessa to find her own personal freedom and happiness.


     Before reading this book, I rarely heard the story of Ona Judge. Therefore, this was a very enlightening experience. Ona Judge is a fully fleshed out character. This story shows how Ona Judge is treated like property. She could not even learn to read or write for fear of being punished. I found Ona to be a very sympathetic character, and my heart went out to her. I rooted for her when she embarked on her journey to freedom. Therefore, Ona Judge’s story was very moving. I wanted to learn her fate after she escaped the Washingtons.


   Overall, this novel is about injustice, freedom, and choices. I found the historical storyline to be the most interesting and fleshed out. I like how the novel depicts the Washingtons and how they treated their slaves. It gave me a different perspective of President George Washington. Though I liked the paranormal elements, I found the modern storyline to be unnecessary and distracting. I did not get into Tessa’s character. Therefore, it would have been much more profound without the modern aspects. Nevertheless, I found the story to be very well-written. I also liked how it sheds more light on a forgotten figure. Therefore, My Name is Ona Judge is an important and inspirational read! I recommend this book for those who are interested in Presidents and First Ladies! I also recommend this for fans of The Secret Wife of Aaron Burr, Sally of Monticello: Founding Mother, and Chains!


Rating: 3 out of 5 stars



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post by Allison Pataki: A Book Review

The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post Author: Allison Pataki Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: Ballantine Release Date: February 15, 2022 Pages: 381 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Mrs. Post, the President and First Lady are here to see you. . . . So begins another average evening for Marjorie Merriweather Post. Presidents have come and gone, but she has hosted them all. Growing up in the modest farmlands of Battle Creek, Michigan, Marjorie was inspired by a few simple rules: always think for yourself, never take success for granted, and work hard—even when deemed American royalty, even while covered in imperial diamonds. Marjorie had an insatiable drive to live and love and to give more than she got. From crawling through Moscow warehouses to rescue the Tsar’s treasures to outrunning the Nazis in London, from serving the homeless of the Great Depression to entertaining Roosevelts, Kennedys, and Hollywood’s biggest stars, Marjorie Merriweath...

King John's Right Hand Lady: The Story of Nicholaa De La Haye by Sharon Bennett Connolly: A Book Review

King John’s Right Hand Lady: The Story of Nicholaa De La Haye Author: Sharon Bennett Connolly Genre: Nonfiction, History, Biography Publisher: Pen & Sword History  Release Date: 2023 Pages: 236 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: In a time when men fought and women stayed home, Nicholaa de la Haye held Lincoln Castle against all-comers. Not once, but three times, earning herself the ironic praise that she acted ‘manfully’.      Nicholaa gained prominence in the First Baron’s War, the civil war that followed the sealing of Magna Carta in 1215. Although recently widowed, and in her 60s, in 1217 Nicholaa endured a siege that lasted over three months, resisting the English rebel barons and their French allies. The siege ended in the battle known as the Lincoln Fair, when 70-year-old William Marshal, the Greatest Knight in Christendom, spurred on by the chivalrous need to rescue a lady in distress, came to Nicholaa’s aid. ...

King Alfred's Daughter: The Remarkable Story of Aethelflaed, Lady of the Mercians, the Heroine who Written out of History by David Stokes: A Book Review

King Alfred’s Daughter: The Remarkable Story of Aethelflaed, Lady of the Mercians, the Heroine who was Written out of History Author: David Stokes Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: The Book Guild Publication Date: 2023 Pages: 348 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: King Alfred is dead and the achievements that made him great are in jeopardy. Rebels challenge the succession of his son Edward to the Wessex throne, and his old ally in Mercia is sick. The Vikings in the Danelaw sense the time has come to complete their conquest of England.       It falls on Alfred’s firstborn, his daughter, Æthelflæd, to unite the Anglo-Saxons. Reluctantly, she takes up the challenge. But can a woman rebuild ruined towns and lead men into battle against hardened Viking warriors? And can Æthelflæd fulfil her father’s dream of uniting England?       Based on contemporary sources and archaeological evidence, King...