Drawing from an archive of nearly five thousand letters and advertisements, the story of formerly enslaved people who spent years searching for family members stolen away during slavery.
Deeply researched and beautifully written ... Last Seen is not a romanticized history. Giesberg forces readers to sit with the trauma of separation and the callousness of White supremacy. But equally, if not more, important is her tender human reminder that the love parents and siblings and children had for their family members never waned ... This history deserves to be read widely, taught carefully and preserved indefinitely.
She has done diligent research using census data and other sources ... From the joy of reunion to the despair of never finding loved ones, from the jubilation surrounding emancipation to the failures of Reconstruction, these books capture the mixed legacies of the post-Civil War era in dramatic and compelling ways.
In Last Seen, Judith Giesberg provides a powerful way to understand the crime of slavery and, just as importantly, the enduring strength and faith of families.
