SUSIE KING TAYLOR

A biography inspired by—and presented alongside—a Black woman’s firsthand account of her experiences as a Civil War nurse.

The story opens in Savannah, Georgia, where Susie Baker lives with her grandmother Dolly, who was born enslaved but now manages her own laundry business. Susie’s mother is enslaved on the Grest Farm, but Dolly persuaded Mr. Grest to let Susie and two younger siblings live in the city with her. Susie dreams of freedom and secretly attends a school run by a free Black woman; later she’s tutored by Mrs. Beasley, who teaches her about history, civics, and current events, including the debate over abolition. After Susie and her siblings are sent back to the Grest plantation, her uncle and his family decide to run away to join the Union Army. Susie, now 14, joins them. She works with the Union Army, organizing a laundry business and school and becoming one of the first Black nurses. An epilogue touches upon Susie’s life after the war, including her move to Boston and her work as an advocate for Black children’s education. The confident voice of the first-person narration brings history to life in a thrilling way and will resonate with readers. Taylor’s original memoir, published in 1902, is included in full, allowing readers to juxtapose the two texts.

A remarkable true story about harnessing one’s inherent dignity in a hostile world.