9. Miss Martha intervenes against punishment for Maple (Chapter 5) and Sarah (Chapter 49) but does not help save Rose from her situation (Chapter 52). What does this say about the nature and limits of her power and the risks she is willing to take?

10. What does Henry mean when he says “America is a lie” (Chapter 55)? Would he make that same assertion today?

11. Ennis intends to make his fortune by using Hiram Young’s race against him and taking his white customers. Henry condemns the plan. Do you think Henry would have joined the scheme if it had been put to him while he was still working as a blacksmith in New York?

(Historical note of interest: Hiram Young was a real person. A former slave, he became wealthy making wagons in Independence, Missouri, in the 1850s.)

12. Sarah and Henry’s relationship is highly unusual for the time. Others in the enslaved community at Jubilee assume it is a transactional relationship (sex for trinkets or favors) and condemn Sarah for it. Why might they think this and what changes their minds?

13. When Maple betrays Sarah at the end of the novel, do you think her actions show a vindictive spitefulness or is what she does an act of self-preservation?

14. Matthew Johnson claims that it is morally acceptable to own slaves as long as they are treated in accordance with his own standards of decency. On several occasions, he talks about his slaves being happy. Do you think that Bessie’s actions at the end of the book will force him to question his beliefs?

15. Throughout the story, Sarah and Henry face obstacle after obstacle to be together. Did you expect them to ultimately succeed? Or did you think that the struggles they faced would prove too great? Did you think they were well-suited?

A Q&A with the Author

What inspired you to write the story of your great-great-grandparents?

Their story is so unusual and so unexpected. It’s a great testament to having the courage to follow your heart no matter where it takes you and no matter how strong the naysayers. When I think of my great-great-grandparents, I’m in awe of how much they must have loved each other, choosing to be together even though it meant facing enormous obstacles. It felt like a story that needed to be told.

Did you always know about your great-great-grandparents’ story? Was this family history or was this something you discovered more recently?

I didn’t grow up knowing their story. I was an adult and married when I was told this part of my family history, and it really resonated with me because I myself am in an interracial marriage. Even in our modern, enlightened society my husband and I have experienced moments of disapproval, so when I think back to their situation in the middle of the nineteenth century, where being together was such a monumental thing, I’m full of admiration that they were able to persevere.