A Hudson Valley Reckoning - by Debra Bruno (Hardcover)

About the Book

"A Hudson Valley Reckoning tells the story of northern slavery from the perspectives of two intertwined families. Debra Bruno's Dutch ancestors were enslavers, while Eleanor C. Mire's ancestors descended from those enslaved by Bruno's family. Despite their dark history, the two found a way to honor those whose stories had been lost"--

Book Synopsis

A Hudson Valley Reckoning tells the long-ignored story of slavery's history in upstate New York through Debra Bruno's absorbing chronicle that uncovers her Dutch ancestors' slave-holding past and leads to a deep connection with the descendants of the enslaved people her family owned.

Bruno, who grew up in New York's Hudson Valley knowing little about her Dutch heritage, was shaken when a historian told her that her Dutch ancestors were almost certainly slaveholders. Driven by this knowledge, Bruno began to unearth her family's past. In the last will and testament of her ancestor, she found the first evidence: human beings bequeathed to his family along with animals and furniture. The more she expanded her family tree, the more enslavers she found. She reached out to Black Americans tracing their own ancestry, and by serendipitous luck became friends with Eleanor C. Mire, a descendent of a woman enslaved by Bruno's Dutch ancestors.

A Hudson Valley Reckoning recounts Bruno's journey into the nearly forgotten history of Northern slavery and of the thousands of enslaved people brought in chains to Manhattan and the Hudson Valley. With the help of Mire, who provides a moving epilogue, Debra Bruno tells the story of white and Black lives impacted by the stain of slavery and its long legacy of racism, as she investigates the erasure of the uncomfortable truths about our family and national histories.

Review Quotes

Bruno might have collected these facts into a stuffy academic tome, but this history is a fast-paced read, replete with vividly depicted portraits of hundreds of lives.

-- "Shelf Awareness"

An excavation of the carefully constructed cultural fiction that paints the North as an innocent bystander to America's original sin. Deeply moving.

-- "The Washington Post"

An eye-opening, detailed and moving account of the seldom told story of Northern slavery, and their own families' histories.

-- "Here & Now (NPR, WBUR)"

Each of the thirteen chapters offers a lesson for family historians, making Ms. Bruno's book well worth the read. One need not have Dutch heritage or enslaver ancestors to benefit from her story. A Hudson Valley Reckoning is a probing, investigative, yet sensitive story in which she exhumes the long-buried bones of her enslaver ancestors. The 'reckoning' manifests itself in the acknowledgement of her family's slaveholding past, and this acknowledgement testifies to the healing power of uncovering our ancestors' stories.

-- "The NYG&B Record"

Excellent.

-- "New York Almanack"

Bruno's research methods are as honed as any historian's, and she tells the story in an engaging and conversational manner. The book is strongly recommended to all who love investigatory researching, an engrossing story, and Hudson Valley color in particular.

-- "The New Amsterdam History Center"

A fascinating read and a valuable resource.

-- "WAMC Northeast Public Radio"

A valiant, in-depth, and invaluable investigation.

-- "Booklist"

While chasing down these little-known stories, Bruno examines her own intentions: "Was I looking for absolution?" Her answer: a calling drew her to the task--and good thing, too, for this is very well done. A strong, surprising addition to the history of slavery in America.

-- "Kirkus Reviews"

About the Author

Debra Bruno is a journalist whose work has appeared in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and The Atlantic, among many other publications. She lives in Washington, DC. For more information, visit her website debrabruno.com.