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The year is 1816. A young woman buys her freedom, only to be kidnapped and sold back into slavery.

The year 1816 in Delaware and surrounding states was known as “the year without a summer” due to debris from the eruption of Mt. Tambora that tainted most of the Northern hemisphere with chill and darkness. This dark time of provides the setting for a remarkable tale of people divided by the institution of slavery, ignorance, greed, social isolation and the triumph of a few people of character over impossible odds. Historians H.A. Maxson and Claudia H. Young bring alive this little known time and place in America. Their collaboration results in a memorable tale of loyalty and betrayal, compassion and cruelty, and of dauntless courage and creativity. Comfort tells the story of how shared morality and character can lead to unlikely partnerships in intrepid heroism. This extraordinary work by veteran authors sets a new standard for interpretation of the Reverse Underground Railroad.

“Mention the Underground Railroad and the first name that likely comes to mind is Harriet Tubman, one of hundreds of tireless workers who, by 1850, together helped to liberate nearly 100,000 slaves. Maxson and Young’s book describes itself as “a novel of the reverse underground railroad,” describing the kidnapping of free blacks and returning them to slave states for sale to slave owners. Comfort, a former slave, is living as a seamstress in Delaware in 1816, only to be sold into indentured servitude by her husband, Cuff, in order to pay his gambling debts. Forced to leave her daughter behind, Comfort harbors a fierce determination to regain the precious freedom she’s lost, and to eventually make her way back to her child. Populated by tenacious and finely nuanced characters, this novel presents a vivid picture of a dark time in American history. Combining faith with extreme human courage, Maxson and Young offer the reader an extraordinary, inspirational tale.”
—Publishers Weekly
Paperback • $18.00 • 978-1-62491-044-9
240 Pages @ 5.5” x  8.5”
Ebook • $3.99 • 978-1-62491-045-6
Buy This Book

History is a good story told well.
H. A. Maxson is the author of sixteen previous books—five collections of poetry, a book-length poem, a novel in free verse, a novel, a study of Robert Frost’s sonnets, and seven works of historical fiction for young readers, co-authored with Claudia H. Young. Over eight hundred poems, stories, reviews and articles have appeared in periodicals, journals and anthologies. He holds a Ph.D. from the Center for Writers at the University of Southern Mississippi. Married to Maureen Maxson, a nurse and photographer, they are organic gardeners in Milford, DE.
Photo by Maureen Maxson.
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More about Harry
Claudia H. Young was born and raised in coastal New Jersey. After living in many locations across the country as a military family, she and her husband and children settled in Dover, Delaware, where they still live. Claudia retired from teaching elementary school but still enjoys classroom visits. She and her husband spend time traveling, golfing and enjoying their children and grandchildren. She is an avid reader who enjoys researching and co-authoring books with H.A. Maxson, her cousin.
Photo by Louis Keiner.
Picture
More about Comfort
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  • Home
  • Submission Guidelines
  • Books
    • Storytelling >
      • Rafts, Raccoons, and Revelations
      • Social Action Stories
      • Beyond Brick and Bone
      • Stories of a Forest Ranger
      • Read and Tell Stories
      • The House at the Top of the Bottoms
      • How the Rabbit Lost its Tail
      • Speak Peace
      • Storytwisting
      • Under the Oaken Bough
      • The Radical Act of Storytelling
      • Dancing on Blades
      • Further Adventures of the Boo Baby Girl
      • Aunty Lily
      • Telling Twain
      • Distilling Hope book
      • Beyond the Sword Maiden
      • Every Day a Holiday
      • From Plot to Narrative
      • A Bridge of Stories
      • A New Pair of Wings
      • Trail Guide to a Crooked Heart
      • Hot Wind, Boiling Rain
      • Beyond the Briar Patch
      • The Price of Three Stories
      • How to Fool a Cat
      • Boo-Tickle Tales
      • You're On!
      • Story by Story
      • Playing with Stories
      • Eye to the Sky
      • Storytelling Tips
      • The Killdeer
      • Barrio Princess
      • Gratitude
      • Belfast Girl
      • Social Studies in the Storytelling Classroom
      • The New Book of Plots
      • Dancing at the Crossroads
      • Old China Through the Eyes of a Storyteller
      • Figler, My Imaginary Friend
      • The Boo Baby Girl
      • The Blow Dried Cat
      • Figler, My Imaginary Friend
      • Cripple Joe book
      • The Stable Boy
      • Stories Live! DVD
    • Novels >
      • Pressing Freedom novel
      • Euphrates Dance novel
      • Hitler, My Father
      • Living in Harmony
      • Little Man
      • French Roots
      • Sweet Hope fiction
      • The Boys from Possum Grape
      • Less Than Charming
      • Bud Parrott
      • President Trump Sells California
      • Comfort
      • Miss Carrie
      • The Thirty-Foot Elvis
      • Madge's Mobile Home Park
      • Jesse Crosse
      • Strange Side of the Tracks
    • Memoirs >
      • Brother Dog
      • Aunty Lily
      • Every Day a Holiday
      • The Killdeer
      • Eye to the Sky
      • Barrio Princess
      • Belfast Girl
      • Born to Fish, Bred to Hunt
      • Speed Trap
    • Art/Poetry >
      • A Visual Guide to Classical Art Theory
      • The Stone Circle Poems
      • The Last Pickled Beets
      • oh, touch me there
      • We Who Battle Demons
      • Bicycle Cowboy
      • The Aesthetic Astronaut
    • Psychology >
      • In Sheep's Clothing--Spanish Edition
      • In Sheep's Clothing
      • The Science of Shame
      • Character Disturbance
      • Dancing at the Crossroads
      • Distilling Hope
      • We Who Battle Demons
      • Gratitude
      • The Heart of the Wedding
      • Educating Angels
    • Non Fiction >
      • Point of View and the Emotional Arc of Stories
      • Go Deep
      • The Vital Realities for 2020 and Beyond
      • The Road to Marion Town
      • Social Studies in the Storytelling Classroom
      • Educating Angels
      • Speed Trap
      • Trails of Central Arkansas
      • Trails of Little Rock
      • Betting the Earth
      • The Chicken Came First
      • Mr. Chairman: The Life and Legacy of Wilbur D. Mills
      • Simple, Not Easy
      • Cubs Fans' Leadership Secrets
      • Listen to Your Work
      • The World Bank Unveiled
      • Kingdom at Any Cost
      • Thought for the Day
      • Once You Get Through the Mountains, the Land Opens Up
  • Contact