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Isaac T. Hopper: a true life
Book by Child, L.Maria
493 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1969
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About the author
Lydia Maria Child
359 books48 followersLydia Maria Child (1802-1880) was an activist and writer of novels, pamphlets, and works for children. She often used her writing to advocate for slaves, women, and Native Americans. Lydia Maria Child was born in Medford, Massachusetts, where her grandfather’s house, which she celebrates in her poem, still stands.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 6, 2018
Having come across Hopper's name in some of my readings about Quakers and Abolitionism I was curious to learn more about this man. This plus one other book were all I could come up with. Since I have enjoyed reading some other biographies written in the 19th century before, I decided to try this one, which was published in 1853 one year after Hopper's death.
The author, Lydia Maria Child, was a younger Abolitionist herself who came to know Hopper quite well during the last years of his life. Thus, she wove a tale filled with many detailed tales of his efforts in the anti-slavery and then later in the prison reform movement from the 1810's until his death in 1852. On the one hand, these provided first hand accounts of Hopper's steadfast, and at times heroic, efforts in Philadelphia, and later in NYC, to help escaped slaves obtain their freedom. Child quotes liberally and at length from letters and other written documentation about Hopper's actitivites. On the other hand, there were so many of these episodes and such lengthy quotes that I began to find them redundant and tedious. Thus, I skimmed through sections of the book.
Unlike any other book I have read from that era this one had an 'index' at the beginning but no table of contents. It was also not broken up into chapters. Instead, it weaved its way through various periods in Hopper's life without any clear breaks in the narrative. The book read almost as if Child was telling the story of Hopper's life to a group of people.
Finally, this biography lacks any criticism of the man, his relationships with others, or his actions over the course of his long life. About 2/3 of the way through the book I began to wonder if Child's affectionate admiration for Hopper prevented her from seeing him as anything less than angelic.
For these reasons, I would give this book a 2.5 rating. Ie, I learned some interesting things but it was flawed in some significant ways. Perhaps the other more modern biography of this man would be a little more to my tastes. But that author is also reportedly a Quaker. Would she be more willing to criticize Hopper than Child?
The author, Lydia Maria Child, was a younger Abolitionist herself who came to know Hopper quite well during the last years of his life. Thus, she wove a tale filled with many detailed tales of his efforts in the anti-slavery and then later in the prison reform movement from the 1810's until his death in 1852. On the one hand, these provided first hand accounts of Hopper's steadfast, and at times heroic, efforts in Philadelphia, and later in NYC, to help escaped slaves obtain their freedom. Child quotes liberally and at length from letters and other written documentation about Hopper's actitivites. On the other hand, there were so many of these episodes and such lengthy quotes that I began to find them redundant and tedious. Thus, I skimmed through sections of the book.
Unlike any other book I have read from that era this one had an 'index' at the beginning but no table of contents. It was also not broken up into chapters. Instead, it weaved its way through various periods in Hopper's life without any clear breaks in the narrative. The book read almost as if Child was telling the story of Hopper's life to a group of people.
Finally, this biography lacks any criticism of the man, his relationships with others, or his actions over the course of his long life. About 2/3 of the way through the book I began to wonder if Child's affectionate admiration for Hopper prevented her from seeing him as anything less than angelic.
For these reasons, I would give this book a 2.5 rating. Ie, I learned some interesting things but it was flawed in some significant ways. Perhaps the other more modern biography of this man would be a little more to my tastes. But that author is also reportedly a Quaker. Would she be more willing to criticize Hopper than Child?
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January 26, 2009biography
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews