"Old Robert, Young Robert, Black Robert, Brown Robert, what difference does it make. He knows what I mean... don't you, Sambo? You know what I mean. He ain't no fool Mary... he just a slave."
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Lady Patriot by Ted Lange Trafford Publishing
book review by Wendy Strain
Deliberately written in the vernacular of the time period so as to retain the history, Lange presents a screenplay that brings to light three women who had a strong impact upon the course of the Civil War, whether they realized it or not.
One of the more enjoyable aspects of historical fiction is the ability to feel as if you know the characters at the same time that the actions they undertake reveal unsuspected aspects of real history. In this case, Lange reveals the real-life female spies that leaked needed information out to the Union forces enabling the North to win the war.
Mary Bowser was a freed slave educated in the North by her former owners, the Van Lew family. She returned to Richmond, VA after receiving her education in order to get married to another freed slave, and ended up working with Elizabeth Van Lew to defeat the Confederates. Instrumental to their plan was Varina Davis, wife of Confederate President Jefferson Davis, and her increasing dependence upon Mary, posing as a slave, within the Davis White House as Varina fought to support her husband and the nation he was trying to forge.
All three women could justifiably be called patriots, all three fought for their beliefs and their loved ones. Through his thoughtful, well-researched depiction, Lange provides a glimpse into what life and expectations were like within this time period. He reveals the depth to which slaves were considered just part of the furniture by some, recognized as a vital engine of the economy by others, and acknowledged in their full human capacity by a precious few within the Old South. It is vital history for us to remember and told in an entertaining way that will tug at your imagination.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review