Ilyon Woo celebrates the amazing true story of an enslaved couple’s mutual emancipation.

On this week’s episode, Ilyon Woo joins us to discuss Master Slave Husband Wife: An Epic Journey From Slavery to Freedom (Simon & Schuster, Jan. 17), the awesome story of Ellen and William Craft, a loving couple who escaped enslavement in 1848 by disguising themselves as a master and his slave. By steamboat, stagecoach, and railroad, the Crafts made their way from Macon, Georgia, to relative safety in Philadelphia and beyond—becoming famous abolitionist speakers at home and abroad.

Compellingly told by Woo (The Great Divorce, 2010), the Crafts’ story is already resonating with readers: Master Slave Husband Wife debuted on the New York Times bestseller list at No. 7. Kirkus calls this brilliant work of nonfiction an “engaging tale of one enslaved couple’s journey to freedom and a love that conquered all.”

Here’s a bit more from our starred review of Master Slave Husband Wife: “Along their journey from Macon, Georgia, and up through Philadelphia, Boston, and Halifax, [the Crafts] evaded nosy onlookers and determined slave catchers working under the aegis of the Fugitive Slave Act. The Crafts also joined the abolitionist speaking circuit. Speaking to packed halls, they risked being caught and returned to their owners, one of whom was Ellen’s half sister.…Throughout, Woo’s narrative is suspenseful and wonderfully told. A captivating tale that ably captures the determination and courage of a remarkable couple.”

Woo and host Megan Labrise talk about the awe Woo experienced when she first heard the Crafts’ story; the external circumstances that led to their escape; infamous White abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison; how to tell the stories of historical figures largely absented from official records; the Crafts as American heroes; and much more.

Then editors Laura Simeon, Mahnaz Dar, Eric Liebetrau, and Laurie Muchnick share their top picks in books for the week.

Editors’ picks:

When You Wish Upon a Lantern by Gloria Chao (Viking)

Jump In! by Shadra Strickland (Bloomsbury)

Acting Naturally: The Magic in Great Performances by David Thomson (Knopf)

Western Laneby Chetna Maroo (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)

Also mentioned on this episode:

From Twinkle, With Love by Sandhya Menon (Simon Pulse/Simon & Schuster)

The World Belonged to Us by Jacqueline Woodson, illus. by Leo Espinosa (Nancy Paulsen Books)

Cinema Speculation by Quentin Tarantino (Harper/HarperCollins)

The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka (Knopf)

Stolen by Ann-Helén Laestadius, trans. by Rachel Willson-Broyles (Scribner)

Thanks to our sponsors:

Never a Cloud by Jo Brunini

The Maenad’s God by Karen Michalson

Twenty-Three: Two Worlds by Karl Hiltner

Rooted in Decency by Colleen Doyle Bryant

Fully Booked is produced by Cabel Adkins Audio and Megan Labrise.