Introduction
Stolen: Five Free Boys Kidnapped into Slavery and their Astonishing Odyssey Home is the first edition of Richard Bell’s historiographical publication. The 336-page book published in 2019 by 37 Ink in New York City is a historical narration revisiting the distressing story of five young black boys abducted in Philadelphia for subsequent enslavement. Bell’s nonfictional work is a compelling, comprehensive, and skillfully written chronicle illustrating the horrors that defined the capture, transportation, and sale of captives to serve the needs of a slave-hungry South. The publication consolidates loose facts from letters and newspaper articles to create a cohesive and meaningful narrative that immerses the reader into the dark underworld of the Reverse Underground Railroad (RUR). In reconstructing the boys’ arduous journey, the author meticulously strikes a balance between the limitlessness of man’s inhumanity, fortitude, compassion, and sympathy through a content-intense and easy-to-read writing style. Although Bell notes that there is limited historical RUR documentation, he expertly rebuilds the story in a way that emotionally engages the audience while providing an in-depth recount of tragic events and the resilience of the human spirit.
Description of the Books Content
Following the outlawing of the slave trade in the United States in 1808, African Americans living in such free states as Pennsylvania lived in fear of kidnappers who sold them to the labor-deprived South. Richard Bell’s Stolen uncovers the terrors that the black residents underwent as he focuses on the story of five young boys who fell into the trap of the fearsome gang. The book explicitly illustrates the operations of a little-known part of America’s institution of slavery; the Reverse Underground Railroad. In graphic details, the author presents the heroic acts of such selfless individuals as Harriet Tubman, who assisted enslaved blacks to escape to freedom in the North. Bell exposes RUR, a nefarious underground network that recaptured the freed slaves, and succinctly illustrates how the outlawing of slave labor catalyzed the gang’s operations. For instance, he demonstrates how the legitimate purchase of slaves from other slave owners became expensive, ushering in a new era of smuggling free black people from the North to the Southern states.
In the publication, Bell provides an in-depth view of the fragility of black freedom. Through the reconstruction of events from scarce reports, the publication excels in illustrating the extent to which African Americans were commodified and felt highly susceptible to commodification and re-enslavement. However, Bell’s work is a powerful presentation of how resilience, bravery, and determination enable people to surmount enormous adversity. Notably, the mastery utilization of maps and period graphs enriches the book’s overall quality, mainly because there are no existing images of the kidnappers or their captives. The tapping of rich archival sources effectively advances the author’s arguments and intensifies the evidential value of the text.
Argument and Themes
Stolen is a historiographic publication that revisits the subject of slavery in the United States. In the book, Bell prominently explores man’s inhumanity by explicitly presenting the horrors, cruelties, and agonies that African Americans endured under the institution of slavery. Additionally, he illustrates the indispensability of resilience and bravery as influential principles which enable people to overcome difficulties, despite extreme odds. The author also makes compelling arguments about how societies are reluctant to abandon practices that threaten their comfort, regardless of how destructive and detrimental.
Evaluation of Content
Stolen is a compelling, extensively researched, historical, and nonfiction publication that revisits, to great detail, the agonies that the black community experienced in the antebellum era. The style and substance of the content are persuasive, mainly due to the author’s utilization of rich archival sources, which significantly solidifies the validity of his assertions and authenticates the narrative. For instance, Bolton corroborates the incidences of kidnappings and re-enslavement of freed fugitives by referencing the evidence provided to Mayor Watson of Philadelphia (211). Additionally, almost half of the book constitutes research notes, enhancing its overall authoritativeness. Although the author had to speculate on some crucial details, the cogent and direct language combined with the accurately recounted timelines obtained from contemporary data and similar works elevates the credence of the book. Notably, the author accomplishes the book’s objective by chronicling the antipathy of kidnappers, contextualizing it within the complex politics of the time, and infusing the story with the empathic actions of such people as Tubman.
Although there is a significant proportion of speculative content in Stolen, Bell is, to a great extent, objective and fair to his audience. Most of the book’s arguments and assertions are corroborated by the sets of edited and assembled manuscripts by the Federal Writers’ Project of the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The WPA narratives are authoritative historical sources documenting the firsthand experiences of former slaves (Jenkins 46). However, the author overreaches by drawing parallels between Harriet Tubman and Ebenezer, who are portrayed as conductors in their respective networks. In this regard, the book is accurate and offers an almost precise recount of the historical events by referencing credible and valid materials. The publication is a descriptive and analytical catalog of events and occurrences. For instance, it describes Philadelphia as an attractive catchment area due to its accessibility, proximity to the sea, and the presence of a large black community. The author further illustrates why human trafficking thrived in the region despite being the home to abolitionists and antislavery campaigners.
In the book, Bell treats the available information adequately well as illustrated by the extensive reference to the archived data, particularly the WPA narratives, politically contextual information, newspaper articles, letters, judicial records, and corroborating pieces of evidence. Although a significant proportion of the arguments and assertions are adequately supported, the absence of resources documenting RUR operations contributes to the author’s utilization of speculations. However, the suppositions are sparingly applied and limited to areas with no available information from source materials. From this perspective, Bell’s extensive use of evidential and authoritative resources is adequate and compelling. For instance, some of the key sources used in the publication include the Joseph Watson Papers held in the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. This renders the author’s approach inflexible and limits the potential for alternative interpretation.
Stolen is a remarkably well-organized narrative recreating the agonies and atrocities of slavery through a distinct presentation of events. Bell smoothly transitions through chapters, paragraphs, episodes, and occurrences in a way that provides a broader context to the story. For instance, “The complexities of pursuing predators like Jason Clark and John Purnell across multiple jurisdictions” creates an instant link between the preceding subject of kidnappers and the subsequent business of hunting them (Bell 44). Additionally, the book is masterfully developed, well-reasoned, and straightforward. Considering the book’s profoundly analytical and descriptive nature, the author aimed at an audience of high-school level and above.
Conclusion
Stolen is a lucid narration of the agonies and horrors that surrounded slavery. It presents the perpetual fear that African Americans lived under since the possibility of being enslaved was rife despite the institution’s abolition. The in-depth insights of a little-known RUR make the book outstanding and a worthwhile read. Additionally, its extensive reference to authoritative historical sources enhances the credence of the author’s assertions and arguments and makes a definitive impact on the history of slavery.
Works Cited
Bell, Richard. Stolen: Five free boys kidnapped into slavery and their astonishing odyssey home. 37 Ink, 2019.
Bolton, S. Charles. Fugitivism: Escaping slavery in the Lower Mississippi Valley, 1820-1860. University of Arkansas Press, 2019.
Jenkins, Grant Matthews. “A Vagabond and a Slave”: Frankenstein as (African-American) Slave Narrative.” Journal of Foreign Languages and Cultures, vol. 2, no. 2, 2018, pp. 45−60.