A Most Perilous World
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  • Published: 17 June 2025
  • ISBN: 9780593855522
  • Imprint: Dutton
  • Format: Hardback
  • Pages: 352
  • RRP: $39.99

A Most Perilous World

The True Story of the Young Abolitionists and Their Crusade Against Slavery

  • Kristina R. Gaddy
Formats & editions
EBook
10 Jun 2025
Audiobook
10 Jun 2025
Hardback
17 Jun 2025
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The stories of the four teenage children of prominent abolitionists before and during the Civil War combine to form a surprisingly familiar tapestry of struggle, disappointment, and ultimately hope.

The stories of the four teenage children of prominent abolitionists before and during the Civil War combine to form a surprisingly familiar tapestry of struggle, disappointment, and ultimately hope.

"Impeccable research and incredible details bring the stories of these four young people to life as they come of age in the years leading up to and during the Civil War."—Kip Wilson, award-winning author of White Rose

Flowers in the Gutter author Kristina R. Gaddy tells the story of America’s tumultuous years leading up to the Civil War and of the war itself from the viewpoints of four children of famous abolitionists, including those of Frederick Douglass and William Lloyd Garrison. Gaddy crafts a surprisingly contemporary coming-of-age narrative, supported by meticulous research and featuring dozens of primary documents. Each of these four young people—two white, two Black—was strongly committed to the anti-slavery cause but felt just as keenly a need to make their own names, away from the often over-protective or disapproving shadows of the famous adults in their lives. This is a true story of how a torch of resistance is passed and how a new generation makes its mark.
  • Published: 17 June 2025
  • ISBN: 9780593855522
  • Imprint: Dutton
  • Format: Hardback
  • Pages: 352
  • RRP: $39.99
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Praise for A Most Perilous World

Praise for Flowers in the Gutter:
* "This matter-of-fact narrative shows how youth can stand against an overwhelming tide of fascism. It implicatively asks readers, 'what would you do?' while highlighting the actions of young people who refused to be complacent—and the consequences they suffered for it. It challenges common narratives that reserve praise for resistance for the politically centrist middle and upper classes. An eye-opening account of tenacity that brings the efforts of young anti-Nazi activists vividly to life."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review.

* "[C]arefully and expertly researched. [...] Readers will enjoy learning about these resistance groups in this truly new and unique addition to the YA World War II literary canon. A must-read."—School Library Journal, starred review.

Praise for Well of Souls
One of The New Yorker’s Best Books of the Year

"In her compelling, thoroughly researched history, Kristina R. Gaddy reveals a different instrument entirely, one intimately rooted in the African diaspora and capable of expressing flights of sorrow and joy…The time is ripe for lovers of the banjo to learn about its hidden past."―Wall Street Journal

"Beguiling…Ms. Gaddy successfully blends archival skills with imagination."―Economist

"Tracing the development of the banjo…this meticulous history also illuminates the difficulties of unearthing a story rooted in the experiences of the enslaved."―New Yorker

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