Lynda Jones

Rich in historical detail, wonderfully written with lovely illustrations, noting the back drop of the Civil War, this is the incredible story of Mary Todd Lincoln and Elizabeth Keckley. Both highly spirited ladies, one of wealth and the other of poverty; these two ladies met when Mary Todd Lincoln was longing to stand out and fit in high society, learned the Elizabeth Keckley, a former slave, was the dressmaker for the rich and famous of Washington, DC.

Elizabeth was a highly intelligent show more woman, way ahead of her time. She had one son as a product of a white man forcing himself on her. She loved that little boy and did not want him to have a life of slavery. At this time in history, blacks could seek freedom at states that proclaimed anti slavery. Elizabeth went to her master and requested to buy her freedom. His cost was $1,200, a rather steep amount of money at the time. Elizabeth was able to achieve this goal and moved to Washington, DC where she began her own dressmaking business. Very successful, she was asked to design incredibly intricate, rich in detail and cost, gowns for Mary. Mary was, of course, was chastised by the public for dressing so lavishly during the time of Civil War.

All too soon, because of Mary's demands for more and more gowns, she became the primary source of Elizabeth's income. A personality that was very high sttrung, Elizabeth spent a lot of time calming the nerves of Mary. She remained friends with Mary throughout her life.

Because of her lavish spending, when Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, Mary was $70, 000 in debt -- a rather high amount of money for that time period. With no way to earn an income and little support, it was Elizabeth who offered to help Mary buy trying to find clients who would purchase the gowns. Alas, it became quite a scandal and newspapers reported the folly of Mary.

Because Elizabeth increasingly designed gowns only for Mary, her source of income was greatly diminished. Still committed to Mary, she offered to obtain a writer who could help her write a book that hopefully would restore Mary's reputation. This backfired and because Elizabeth told some of the White House secrets that were not to be included in the book, but were.

Living to an old age, Elizabeth never was able to regain her clients. Mary, as many know, increasingly became emotionally irrational, and was for a period of time institutionalized.

Highly Recommended. Five Stars! show less

This book follows the life of five famous African-American writers. All five writers had challenges along the way and some were even inspired to continue in the pursuit of their dreams by the other writers discussed in the book.
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