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

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.
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.