The Life and Times of Hannah Crafts

by Gregg Hecimovich

A groundbreaking study of the first Black female novelist and her life as an enslaved woman, from the biographer who solved the mystery of her identity, with a preface by Henry Louis Gates Jr.

In 1857, a woman escaped enslavement on a North Carolina plantation and fled to a farm in New York. In hiding, she worked on a manuscript that would make her famous long after her death. The novel, The Bondwoman's Narrative, was first published in 2002 to great acclaim, but the author's identity remained unknown. Over a decade later, Professor Gregg Hecimovich unraveled the mystery of the author's name and, in The Life and Times of Hannah Crafts, he finally tells her story.

In this remarkable biography, Hecimovich identifies the novelist as Hannah Bond "Crafts." She was not only the first known Black woman to compose a novel but also an extraordinarily gifted artist who honed her literary skills in direct opposition to a system designed to deny her every measure of humanity. After escaping to New York, the author forged a new identity--as Hannah Crafts--to make sense of a life fractured by slavery.

Hecimovich establishes the case for authorship of The Bondwoman's Narrative by examining the lives of Hannah Crafts's friends and contemporaries, including the five enslaved women whose experiences form part of her narrative. By drawing on the lives of those she knew in slavery, Crafts summoned into her fiction people otherwise stolen from history.

At once a detective story, a literary chase, and a cultural history, The Life and Times of Hannah Crafts discovers a tale of love, friendship, betrayal, and violence set against the backdrop of America's slide into Civil War.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Biography, Biography Memoir, African American, Audiobook, Race

304 pages, ebook

First published October 17, 2023

About the author

Gregg Hecimovich is Hutchins Family Fellow at Harvard University and professor of English at Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina. He is the author of six books and edited volumes, including The Life and Times of Hannah Crafts (Ecco/HarperCollins, 2023), selected by The Washington Post as “One of the 10 Best Books of 2023.” Hecimovich received his Ph.D. in English from Vanderbilt University and is a receiptient of fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Humanities Center, and elsewhere.

Reviews

[Hannah Greendale (Hello, Bookworm) · Rating 3 out of 5]

🔍 Watch my BookTube deep dive on the mysterious author of The Bondwoman's Narrative.



"Who was this extraordinary writer? Why did she tell her story as a novel that (mostly) hid her identity? And why did her story remain unpublished in her lifetime?"

The Life and Times of Hannah Crafts chronicles the monumental task of bringing to light the true identity of the author who called herself Hannah Crafts.

Be advised that this book does not explore the author's life in a linear fashion, and it does not focus solely on her. Rather, it takes a close look at the many people she crossed paths with in her life: the people who enslaved her, people who were enslaved alongside her, and the people she met on her journey in search of freedom.

This book also gives account of the clever ways in which the author wove facts into her fictional narrative, explores why she chose to write a fictional story, and identifies some of the published novels that inspired her work.

I highly recommend watching my deep dive video before picking up The Bondwoman's Narrative so you can get the most of your experience reading the book. After finishing it, check out Gregg Hecimovich's thoroughly researched accompaniment to learn more about the remarkable woman behind what is now deemed one of the most historically significant works of literature.

[Faith · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The same care that scholars and local boosters put into lovingly refurnishing and restoring the physical property of John Wheeler House was not extended to recovering the lives of the enslaved people who enriched the Wheelers. One aim of this biography is to change that.”

“The Bondwoman’s Narrative” was written in the 1850s, but was not published until 2002. It is the only known novel written by a formerly enslaved woman. The book was partially biographical, parts were loosely based on other people and parts were fiction. At the time of its publication, the identity of the author was unknown. Through extensive research and detective work, the author of “The Life and Times of Hannah Crafts” managed to track down the author, and her story is told in this book. He discovered where and how she lived, the people with whom she associated, how she managed to escape and her life after she gained her freedom.
However, that is only part of the book. The rest describes the other people in Hannah’s life and also the other women who were suspected of having authored the book.

I had never heard of “The Bondwoman’s Narrative”. I think it might be useful, although not necessary, to read that novel before reading this biography, because the author makes many references to the novel. This book was very detailed and felt somewhat disjointed. I understand that the author had to focus on a lot of other people, because they and their experiences were often woven into the novel. Also, the author was writing a history book, not just a biography, but it did make the book tedious at times and there were a lot of names to keep track of.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had vaguely heard of the novel The Bondwoman's Narrative years ago. I think I watched a clip about it on KET( PBS) or somewhere like it. If you don't know The Bondwoman's Narrative is considered to be the first novel written by a formerly enslaved person. It was written in roughly the 1850's but it wouldn't be published until 2002. Even after it was published the identity of the author was still unknown. The book was written under the name Hannah Crafts but that was not her actual name. The author of this book Gregg Hecimovich didn't discover or publish the original manuscript that was done by historian Henry Louis Gates but he and others have devoted the last 20 years to trying to figure out who it was.

Hecimovich comes to the probable conclusion that the author was Hannah Bonds. I'm not going to tell you much about Hannah Bonds because the journey into how the author figures it out. This book is about slavery so it's a tough read. Hannah was repeatedly raped by her "master" and this book explores how rape was an integral part of everyday life and the U.S. economy that thrived on slavery. Rape is also very integral to Crafts/ Bonds novel.

I want to read The Bondwoman's Narrative eventually. I am planning to at some point read some Slave Narratives. In high school I read Frederick Douglass' but that was a long time ago and I don't remember much of it.

If you are interested in American History, than pick this up.

If you are interested in the history of American literature, than I highly recommend it.

If you want to fight back again the racist losers who want to whitewash history, buy this book and put it in little libraries or have your library order it.

Alot of people in America don't want you to know America's real history so we have to fight back.

[Em · Rating 5 out of 5]

With a foreword written by Henry Louis Gates Jr. who published the first edition of Hannah Crafts handwritten and self-edited manuscript, The Life and Times of Hannah Crafts is an exploration of the life and work of this formerly enslaved Black woman who is the first ever known Black, female novelist.

Gregg Hecimovich is a biographer who committed himself to doing a deep dive into the life of Hannah Crafts in order to piece her story together. For over 150 years Hannah Crafts manuscript has remained hidden with evidence that Emily Driscoll, a book shop owner in NYC acquired it in 1948 and listed it in her store as: "a fictionalized biography, written in an effusive style, purporting to be the story of the early life and escape of one Hannah Crafts, a mulatto...".

As a lover of Black literature, I am so grateful that Gregg Hecimovich wrote this book in order to demystify the woman behind what others had reduced to "the mixed-race fugitive author". So many of our heroes are turned into myths and in this narrative Hannah Crafts humanity is centered. The author seeks to answer the questions: Who was Hannah? Why did she tell her story as a novel that mostly hid her identity? Why did her story never get published over the course of her lifetime? He both answers each of these questions and reclaims the events of her life on which this novel is based.

Thank you so much to the author and publisher for the e-arc copy!

[Tracy Solak · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a book about Hannah Crafts, there was way too much focus on the white slaveowners and their families. This read like a poorly edited PhD thesis.

[Laura Neemann · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was very interesting and informative but I don’t think there was enough material for this many pages. It got repetitive

[Madison · Rating 3 out of 5]

My guy, I needed this, like a month before you published it, I literally gave a presentation comprised of the first five chapters, and I had none of these answers.

[Aubrey Bass · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm calling it with this one. Too many audio books to get through and I don't like the writing style. Reading the comparisons between the author's book and her real life isn't interesting to me unless I've read the book being referenced. It's like watching a BTS clip for a show you've never even watched. I am sure the book isn't bad, I just didn't like the way it was written back and forth (from sentence to sentence) comparing and contrasting between the novel and the author's life in slavery.

[Stephen Morrissey · Rating 4 out of 5]

The viciousness and cruelty of slavery not only tore apart families, massacred the bodies of African-American men and women, and robbed an entire people of freed, it also silenced a massive part of our population, condemning them to ignorance, or worse, in our history. Gregg Hecimovich has done more than most to excavate through the shreds left behind from antebellum days, through the prism of the fascinating part-autobiography, part fictional "Bondwoman's Narrative." Hecimovich's book winds through the story of the unearthing of this magnificent book, the various candidates for authorship, and how likely it is that Hannah Crafts, a slave who escaped bondage from her North Carolina master, put pen to paper and drafted one of the few unaltered, unfiltered takes on slave life.

From paper forensics to a deep history of North Carolina and Southeast Virginia, Hecimovich comprehensively reconstructs the life and times of Hannah Crafts, her life, her family, her fellow slaves, and her incredible journey to freedom. If American history has passed over incredible women like Hannah Crafts, Hecimovich has done as much as possible to bring the spotlight to the men and women who endured the peculiar institution and contributed to a rebirth of a nation that only resulted in heartache, misery, and often death for African-American slaves below the Mason-Dixon Line.

[Kristi DePriest · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read ‘The Bondswoman’s Narrative’ first. I preferred having the ability to appreciate that one on its own first, before delving into the history behind it. But this is definitely a worthy follow up. The research and work behind this is astounding to me.

[Mimi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredibly researched book about a female slave’s biography, not always an easy read but still extraordinary, 4.5

[Arianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m blown away by the scholarship and luck required to tell this amazing story.

[Lauralee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hannah Crafts was the first African American female novelist. Even though her work was written before the Civil War, her novel was not published until 2002. She penned the bestselling The Bondwoman’s Narrative. However, very little is known about Hannah Crafts except that she was a slave. In The Life and Times of Hannah Crafts, the biography attempts to unravel the mystery of Hannah Crafts.

In The Life and Times of Hannah Crafts, Mr. Hecimovich believes that Hannah Crafts is actually Hannah Bond. She may have been the daughter of the slave owner, Lewis Bond. Hannah Bond eventually became owned by John Hill Wheeler. During her time in bondage, she learned to read and write. In 1857, she escaped captivity by fleeing to the North. The biography also illuminates Hannah Crafts’ life after her escape. Therefore, I found these details to be very fascinating, and I could not help but feel sorry for her.

Overall, this was a very long and drawn out biography. I did not really find The Life and Times of Hannah Crafts to be comprehensive. It jumps around on various topics. It also seemed like there was less focus on Hannah Bond. Instead, it focused mostly on the Wheeler household and its female slaves. Therefore, it should have been much shorter and more attention paid to Hannah Crafts. Nevertheless, it illuminates how remarkable and strong Hannah Crafts was. I had never heard of The Bondwoman’s Narrative, and it makes me want to read her novel sometime in the future. I also hope that there will be more future studies on her. I recommend this biography for fans of Harriet, The Moses of Her People, Sojourner Truth, and Letters from a Slave Girl!
(Note: I read an ARC copy of this book in courtesy of Netgalley.)

[Betty Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was a personal history, told untypical biographical style. Instead the author gives the reader a realistic picture of a woman house slave who learned to read and write, was assigned to tend a school girl, was exposed to literature with a fondness for Charles Dickens, stole paper from her owner, wrote a novel that she smuggled with her as she escaped to freedom. Hekimovich uses contemporary writings, other historical account of Hannah’s time, and the composition of the paper she used in an attempt to identify the writer, her enslavers, and her benefactors. Through out this book are descriptions of what it meant to be a female house slave in the antebellum South

[Marti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really wanted to read the Bondswoman’s Narrative but couldn’t find it. At least I learned something about Crafts. I do appreciate the research done by the author.

[Texassippi Will · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good companion piece to 'The Bondwoman's Narrative'. I initially began reading this prior to 'The Bondwoman's Narrative' after seeing a news article describing the story of Hannah Crafts. It was about how she was deemed the first black female author and it intrigued me. The article initially led me to believe that this was a narrative retelling of the story but it was more of an informational piece. I think that is important to know because I was initially disappointed because I felt that it was just spoiling the story without really telling it. I also felt irritated by the fact that it felt like a whitewashing of her story because it seemed to initially only to refer to the Hannah as hypothetical, even though it was presented as a story proving that she wrote it. I ended up taking a step back and decided to read her actual book first. When I came back, this work was much more enjoyable. Even though it isnt necessarily an exciting read, it did have alot of really good information. There were some moments where I wanted more, because subjects such as "passing" would be brought up and the topic of how slavemasters used "passing" to their advantage at times would come up. The issue I had is that there wasn't much information given there and it was such a provoking subject to bring to light. That is why I feel there is a little left to be desired with this book. Nonetheless it is a good companion piece to the original novel and it does provide good subjects for further investigation. If you are going to read 'The Bondwoman's Narrative' and want further explanation of events within the text it's definitely worth taking a look at.

[Bethany Swafford · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 1857, a woman flees enslavement on a North Carolina plantation, finding refuge on a New York farm where she secretly pens a The Bondwoman’s Narrative. The manuscript remains unpublished until 2002, when the novel gains acclaim. The author's identity remained a mystery until Professor Gregg Hecimovich unraveled the truth behind the first black woman to write a novel.

I did not read The Bondwoman’s Narrative when it was first published. In fact, seeing this book was the first I’d heard anything about it. Still, I was fascinated by the idea of discovering the identity of a writer, so I was eager to read this. It was extraordinary to read the amount of effort it took to find some clues as to who could have written the manuscript and what happened.

At times, this book was difficult to get through. It jumped around a bit, detailing why one person’s story matched the events of the manuscript but then why they were not the author. It jumped to the writer’s mother and how she affected the story. It was a lot of information and I was not able to read for long lengths of time because it felt overwhelming.

Still, this was an interesting look into the life of an enslaved woman and how she used her pen to take back control of all that had happened to her. I suspect reading the manuscript would have given more weight to the search for her identity.

I would recommend this to readers interested in the life of an enslaved person and the search through history to discover who she was. I received an advance copy through NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own.

[Lily · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a true example of historical detective work, Professor Gregg Hecimovich unravels the mystery of the author of The Bondswoman’s Narrative which was first published in 2002. Hecimovich identifies the author as Hannah Bond “Crafts” and places her book in the realm of semi-autobiographical fiction, and he explores the list of five possible authors of The Bondswoman’s Narrative before finally settling on Hannah Bond as the most likely author. In this biography, Hecimovich brings these several narratives together to build a narrative of mid-nineteenth century American slavery and the remarkability of Hannah Bond’s ability to develop such a powerful literary voice in direct opposition to the institutional systems that affected her. Hecimovich’s historical analysis and historical detective work are fascinating to read, especially since Hecimovich goes into such detail about the process and the source material available. The depth of research, time commitment, and work in this biography is absolutely incredible, and the research into this forgotten author and the larger social history makes this book incredibly powerful, relevant, and an important read. Despite all the research and academic importance of this biography, Hecimovich has made this book incredibly readable and digestible for historians, academics, and regular readers alike.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ecco for the advance copy.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want to give this more than 3 stars because Hannah Crafts is such an incredible person. But this exploration of her life, so painstakingly researched, read like a PhD thesis. It seemed like the narrative circled back on itself several times which was confusing. And the author was intent on laying out the argument for why the author of The Bondwoman’s Narrative was Hannah and not one of the other possible women. That argument was long, drawn out and not all that interesting. It might have helped if I remembered Bleak House, which is what she modeled her story after to a certain extent.
What was interesting was Hannah herself and what is known about her amazing life. Essentially self taught, escaped clutching this manuscript which she then finished in freedom.
Bottom line? Worthwhile read but more like an assignment versus something you’d read for pleasure.

[Caitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

My mom suggested this to me after watching a segment on CBS about it and it was a fascinating book. I’m not sure whether I would’ve liked it even more if I’d read Crafts’s The Bondwoman’s Narrative first, such that Hecimovich’s book might have felt even more illuminating, but even if you don’t read Crafts’s book (as I haven’t yet), The Life and Times is an astounding account of piecing together the historical person she was, the author she became, and the experiences and traumas she had to overcome on her journey. It can ring a bit academic at times, especially when reviewing all the possible people who might have written The Bondwoman’s Narrative, but it’s absolutely worth the read.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I became interested in “The Life and Times of Hannah Crafts” after seeing it featured on the CBS Morning Show. This book investigates who wrote “The Bondwoman’s Narrative,” which is a novel of a woman’s story as a former slave. Through research, the author determines that the novel is semi-autobiographical but likely captures experiences of other slave women. The book also presents how Hannah became literate and refined her writing skills by exposure to female college students. The book is fascinating and I highly recommend it.

[maya ୨ৎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars.

I would rather just read "The Bond Woman's Narrative" by Hannah Crafts then read this collection of "how it came to be and how we know that's true". Most of this novel consisted of research into the people surrounding Hannah Crafts, not actually Hannah Crafts and I think that's what really bothered me about it. Overall, the research IS well done and that's what gave it this rating in the end but I truly think that since this is a book ON Hannah Crafts then maybe it should be more about Hannah Crafts.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading The Bondwoman's Narrative, I was so intrigued to learn about Hannah Craft's life. I love everything about family history research so this was right up my alley. It did have a lot of ancillary information about people who ranged from very connected to loosely connected to Crafts. Some of it was interesting - some not. I did skim read some pages. This book shows the intensive research done to figure out who Crafts was, where she lived and what happened to her after her escape. I really enjoyed it but could understand for some it could be a bit tedious.

[Georgia · Rating 3 out of 5]

As an admirer of Henry Louis Gates, Jr. I enjoy his ability to trace families history's. I find learning about the slave's trials and tribulations important. The book is slightly dinifferent from just a "novel" in that it is trying to prove that another novel, "A Bondsmans Narrative ", is indeed the only surviving manuscript written by a slave. It was interesting to learn some of the techniques used to prove manuscripts, including the paper, ink and writing instruments. Looking forward to finding a copy of the Bondsman Narrative, written while in slavery.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of a book, now considered the first novel by a black woman, whose origin was uncertain. Prof. Henry Louis (Skip) Gates (of Finding Your Roots on PBS) became aware of the manuscript but could connect an author's name to it. This author set out to give the author credit through much research.
Sometimes dry, but very well researched, illuminating the numerous records he found to come to the conclusion that credit belongs to Hannah Crafts.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must read for anyone interested in literary history.

A tale of love, friendship, betrayal, and violence set against the backdrop of America’s slide into Civil War. If you are at all interested in American history, grab this book.

Thank you the publisher and Netgalley for an arc. All opinions expressed are my own.

[Debra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative and well researched presenting Hannah Craft's life and times. It is interesting how demeaning slavery is for all people involved. Author refers to slaves as captives. Hannah was educated and wrote her story through fiction writing. I'm glad this history was discovered and rescued for people to understand slavery and the culture that perpetuated it.

[Cathy Nunn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened to the audio version. The readers did an excellent job, but so much information. I would suggest reading the book. Also , “The Bondwoman’s Narrative “ is not included. I would have liked to read it first. Great insight into how historians work.

[Amy Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing research about the earliest known novel by an enslaved woman.
If you plan to read it, get back into your textbook reading mindset. It’s heavy.
And so interesting for people like me who love this kind of research.

[Parker · Rating 1 out of 5]

This could have been an excellent book. The premise is quite interesting. It's ruined though, by confusing writing that meanders all over the place.

I kept wishing for a family tree (of the Wheelers) and a map of the area.