Saturday Review: “Uncovering North Carolina’s Early Literary History” a review by Jessica Cory in NCLR Online Spring 2024 of Gregg Hecimovich’s book The Life and Times of Hannah Crafts: The True Story of the Bondwoman’s Narrative (2023)
Cory describes Life and Times as, “part mystery, part history, and moves with a well-developed narrative arc.” She writes, “Hecimovich rises to the challenge Gates posed with the publication of this novel just over twenty years ago and in doing so, illuminates for his audience not only the true identity of the first African American female novelist but also the complex and fascinating life she led.”
As most avid NCLR readers know, Hecimovich first published his initial research in our 2007 issue. Cory’s review touches on many of the clues Hecimovich followed across the tale and throughout the state: from trees and crops grown to people named. Cory astutely points out, “Had the volume been published in the author’s lifetime (a speculation Hecimovich addresses near the end of his book), perhaps the real Hannah Crafts would still be a mystery.”
Read the entire review in the Online Spring 2024 issue out now! And order the book from Bookshop.org.
