Publishers Weekly
06/11/2018
The stunning travails of Kitty Payne, an actual Virginia slave who was freed and then kidnapped by her master's nefarious nephew, come to life in this suspenseful and affecting novel from Ford (The Walls of Jericho). Following the death of her master (who fathered her with another slave), Kitty believes her life and the lives of her three children are in jeopardy, because she thinks that without the master's protection, his wife might sell her and her children and break up her family. After a botched escape attempt, rather than punish her, Mary Maddox, wife of the deceased master, confesses her husband's deathbed wish to set Kitty and her children free and helps to make that happen: she hides Kitty and her family in a carriage and takes them to the free state of Pennsylvania through the Underground Railroad. Despite the unfortunate use of stereotypical dialect and an unnecessary preface that reveals much of the plot, the climax of the book is a riveting 1846 court case—the first in history in which a slave brings a lawsuit against a white man. Using actual transcripts, Ford does an excellent job portraying the warring factions of the time: those in the South who wanted to preserve their way of life, and those who felt slavery was unjust. The author adeptly depicts a little-known slice of American legal history. (Aug.)
From the Publisher
Jack Ford has taken a true, haunting and underappreciated event from our nation's past and created a page turning novel that is equal parts disturbing, inspiriting and thrilling…Coming from one of this country's most well respected legal minds, Kitty's stunning journey, legal maneuvers and ultimately the trial portions, pop off the pages with a compelling clarity that only someone like Ford can provide. Kitty and her two saviors Mary and Fanny are characters whose actions, in the end, should inspire all of us to do more and better.” —Dan Abrams, ABC News Chief Legal Affairs Anchor
“This is a book that once again makes history come alive; the courtroom scene is reminiscent of To Kill a Mockingbird, albeit in a time and in a tradition of the old south some 100 years earlier. It is both a reminder and a tonic for the times we are once again living through as a nation…The book is a page turner. I urge you to read it, share it, recommend it and promote it.” —David Cully, President of Baker & Taylor
“It’s very rare indeed that a storyteller finds his own perfect tale. But in Chariot on the Mountain, Jack Ford, noted legal historian, journalist, and former trial attorney, conjures up in rapid-fire, muscular prose the haunting, historic tale of “Princess Kitty,” a young, defiant slave in rural Virginia of 1846, who sues a white man over her freedom and wins.” —Jerome Charyn, author of Jerzy
“A tautly plotted, swiftly moving tale that throws light on the complex connections between kinship, conscience, and justice during slavery.” —Sabra Waldfogel, author of Sister of Mine
“Jack Ford crafts a harrowing tale of flight and fear, at the same time he conveys the longing for liberty that persevered in the face of threats, intimidation and extreme reversals of fortune. And he reminds us of the toxic legacy of human bondage, through one woman’s fierce determination that it will not be visited on her children, and her embrace of American law in the fight to secure her freedom. This is ultimately a story of friendship, across class and color lines—perfect for our current moment, bringing us face-to-face with our country’s past, as we seek to redeem our future.” —Jami Floyd, Host, All Things Considered, WNYC New York Public Radio
“[A] suspenseful and affecting novel from Ford…The climax of the book is a riveting 1846 court case – the first in history in which a slave brings a lawsuit against a white man…The author adeptly depicts a little-known slice of American legal history .” —Publishers Weekly
