Behind the Scenes: Or, Thirty Years a Slave, and Four Years in the White House

by Elizabeth Keckley

Overview

Born in Virginia in 1818, Elizabeth Keckley grew up enslaved until she was able to purchase her and her son's freedom with money made from working as a seamstress. As she continued to perfect her craft, her styles caught the attention of the elite in Washington D.C. It wasn't until the day of Abraham Lincoln's inauguration that she crossed paths with Mary Todd Lincoln, who took Elizabeth on as her personal confidante and seamstress. Behind the Scenes not only offers an intimate look into the enslaved and free life of Elizabeth Keckley but also the lives of Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln. At the time of publication, the lives of presidents and their families were private and not known to the public—this book gave everyone an idea of what it was like inside the White House.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781666526646
Publisher:	Dreamscape Media
Publication date:	02/01/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	130
Sales rank:	434,498
File size:	579 KB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Elizabeth Keckley (1818-1907) was a former slave and was best known as being a personal confidante to Mary Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln's wife and the First Lady. After being freed, she become a successful seamstress, author, and civil rights activist. Her autobiography, Behind the Scenes, not only gives a history of her life but also gives insight into the First Family's affairs.

Editorial Reviews

06/01/2022

Adenrele Ojo becomes Elizabeth Keckley in this superbly nuanced performance of the formerly enslaved woman's memoir. Keckley details her early life of enslavement and unhappy marriage, how she worked to buy her freedom and that of her sons, started her own dressmaking business in Washington, DC, and became so successful that she was hired by the wives of many powerful politicians, including Mary Todd Lincoln. Told as if in conversation, Ojo's warm, careworn voicing of Keckley's narrative is in stark contrast to those around her: young females who seek her help, Southern politicians' wives who hire her to sew, and their powerful husbands, including President Lincoln, whom she meets during fittings. Keckley's emotions are palpable throughout, from her humorous machinations to get the job with Mrs. Lincoln, her grief when Lincoln and his son Tad died, and her affection and concern for Mrs. Lincoln after the assassination. There is a musicality to the tone and rhythm in Ojo's reading that will keep listeners tuning in to Keckley's amazing story. VERDICT An engrossing look at the life of a formerly enslaved woman in the Lincoln household of 1860s Washington.—Stephanie Bange

Library Journal - Audio

"Invaluable...Elizabeth Keckley's memoir of her life as a White House dressmaker for Mary Todd Lincoln...[is a] curious gem"—Eric J. Sundquist in The New York Times Book Review
"A remarkable vantage point on the Civil War"—Chicago Sun Times



"Invaluable...Elizabeth Keckley's memoir of her life as a White House dressmaker for Mary Todd Lincoln...[is a] curious gem"—Eric J. Sundquist in The New York Times Book Review
"A remarkable vantage point on the Civil War"—Chicago Sun Times



"Invaluable...Elizabeth Keckley's memoir of her life as a White House dressmaker for Mary Todd Lincoln...[is a] curious gem"—Eric J. Sundquist in The New York Times Book Review
"A remarkable vantage point on the Civil War"—Chicago Sun Times


"Invaluable...Elizabeth Keckley's memoir of her life as a White House dressmaker for Mary Todd Lincoln...[is a] curious gem"—Eric J. Sundquist in The New York Times Book Review
"A remarkable vantage point on the Civil War"—Chicago Sun Times

From the Publisher