250 Years of Us Book Club: Never Caught: The Washingtons’ Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge

During the year of America’s 250th anniversary, this book club explores history through both fiction and non-fiction that challenge familiar narratives and invite fresh perspectives on the American past. Each selection encourages readers to look beyond the textbook version of history and consider the people, choices, and hidden stories that shaped the nation.

November’s Selection: Never Caught: The Washingtons’ Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge by Erica Armstrong Dunbar

In November’s selection, we look beyond the familiar story of George Washington and the founding of the nation to center the experience of Ona Judge, an enslaved woman who escaped from the Washingtons in 1796 and spent the rest of her life resisting their efforts to recapture her. Erica Armstrong Dunbar reconstructs Judge’s life and remarkable act of self-emancipation, revealing the contradictions between the ideals of liberty celebrated by the new republic and the realities of slavery. Never Caught offers a powerful perspective on the founding era by placing the story of an enslaved woman—and her determination to claim her own freedom—at the center of American history.

Excerpts from Ken Burns’ THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION will be shown in the book discussion group. These clips have been made possible through a library grant from PBS.