An account of York and the Lewis and Clark Expedition is two stories in one: the grandeur of the expedition and the cruelty of slavery. The story of Lewis and Clark is well known; York’s story—an enslaved man on the journey with his master, William Clark—may be new to many readers. York returned from the heroic journey only “to realize, once again, that he was totally a slave, considered to be inferior to every white person.” York did not receive the double pay and 320 acres of land each enlisted man received and was not even included in the official list of men who had gone on the expedition. Blumberg’s fine writing, the attractive text full of maps, sketches, portraits, and other archival materials, and the dramatic cover with a detail from Ed Hamilton’s sculpture memorializing York make this one of the best new works on the subject and a fine one-two punch with the author’s The Incredible Journey of Lewis and Clark (1999). (introduction, endnotes, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 8-12)
