The Tubman Command

The Tubman Command by Elizabeth Cobbs    336 pages

 

I had been seeing/hearing a lot of buzz about this book, and I was excited to read it. I learned about Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad in grade school, but can’t say that I knew all that much about the woman. I’ve visited historic homes who had tunnels that claimed to be points on that infamous line and have stood in the darkened tunnel, aghast at the fear those poor people must have felt.  But fear is what kept them pressing on.

 

This story takes place in South Carolina, in May 1863. The tide had not yet turned for the Union Army, and many feared that the United States would split into two countries. From the book jacket:

 

“’The Tubman Command’ tells the story of Tubman at the height of her powers, when she devises the largest plantation raid of the Civil War. General David Hunter places her in charge of a team of black scouts even though skeptical of what one woman can accomplish. For her gamble to succeed, “Moses” must outwit alligators, overseers, slave catchers, sharpshooters, and even hostile Union soldiers to lead gunships up the Combahee River. Men stand in her way at every turn--though one reminds her that love shouldn’t have to be the price of freedom.”

 

I had high hopes for this novel. However, the use of dialect made it difficult, for me to read. I was often bored and kept getting thrown out of the story by the dialect. Therefore, “The Tubman Command” receives 1 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.