Nell Painter
Amy Godine's utterly fascinating, sprightly history of Black Adirondack settlers is gripping in its own right and just right for this extraordinary moment in American history. Restoring African Americans to the Adirondacks, The Black Woods discovers our anti-racist heritage in quite an unexpected place.
Adirondack Council - Justin Levine
Whether you're interested in Adirondack, Black or antebellum history, Godine's The Black Woods will leave an undeniable impression on your understanding of Adirondack Park, and is required reading for those who want to ensure a more welcoming Adirondacks for everyone.
Ken Burns
The Black Woods is a beautifully written, painstakingly researched, and uncommonly nuanced story, heretofore a footnote in the ongoing saga of race in America. But here is a real story, liberated from the chains of arrogant historiography and willing to look into dark corners of our national narrative and climb to summits that offer a panoramic 'us.'
John Stauffer
A rich and intimate story of African Americans and abolitionists in a little-known Adirondack community called Timbuctoo. Beautifully conceived, deeply researched, The Black Woods is an immensely timely book, and a necessary book for our time.
Philip Terrie
With prodigious research and stunning prose, Amy Godine's The Black Woods provides the first comprehensive account of an important and overlooked chapter in regional and American history.
Bill McKibben
Amy Godine has done something of great importance here: recovered a fascinating story that needs to be told and heard. If you care about the North Woods, or if you care about the possibilities for reconciliation in this tired nation, this book will inform and move you.