The Secrets of Mary Bowser

After having The Secrets of Mary Bowser on my wishlist for some time, I decided to was time to pick it up. The Secrets of Mary Bowser is based on real people in history.  Mary Bowser was a slave that was freed by the family she worked for and sent North to get an education.  As she is educated and the Civil War begins, Mary becomes a spy for the North.

The story takes place in the 1800's and begins when Mary is a small child.  She slaves beside her mother, her father works for a different owner.  The only time she sees her father is on Sundays when they are "off" from the family that owns them.

Mary and her mother are owned by the Van Lew Family.  It is Bet Van Lew, an abolitionist, that frees Mary and her mother.  The story really takes off from here and is beautifully written.  Because of her education and her determination to see slavery ended, she played a huge part in the Civil War, seeing that the North would succeed in its fight against the South, ending slavery.

If you like history and enjoy historical novels, this would be a great book for you.