Books like Iola Leroy, or, Shadows Uplifted by Koritha Mitchell
In the midst of the Civil War, a tight‑knit community of enslaved men and women in a North Carolina town readies for conflict and the hope of liberation. Iola Leroy, a young woman who was unaware of her African ancestry, is lured back to her hometown under false pretenses and immediately enslaved. Amid battlefield hospitals and clandestine prayer meetings, Harper’s quietly potent novel portrays the resilience, integrity, and solidarity of this community.
A landmark work by one of the 19th‑century’s preeminent African‑American poets, "Iola Leroy" was one of the first novels published by an African‑American writer. Though it fell out of print after its initial popularity, the novel was rediscovered in the 1970s and reclaimed as a seminal contribution to African‑American literature.
First publish date: 1969
Genre: Historical Fiction/19th Century Historical Fiction
Authors: Koritha Mitchell
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