{"product_id":"the-road-was-full-of-thorns-running-toward-freedom-in-the-american-civil-war-hardcover","title":"The Road Was Full of Thorns: Running Toward Freedom in the American Civil War - Hardcover","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eTom Zoellner\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA radical retelling of the drama of emancipation, from \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e bestselling author and winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Zoellner is a beautiful writer, a superb reporter, and a deep thinker.\" \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e--\u003cem\u003eThe New York Times Book Review\u003c\/em\u003e on \u003cem\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe National Road\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the opening days of the Civil War, three enslaved men approached the gates of Fort Monroe, a U.S. military installation in Virginia. In a snap decision, the fort's commander \"confiscated\" them as contraband of war.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFrom then on, wherever the U.S. Army traveled, torrents of runaways rushed to secure their own freedom, a mass movement of 800,000 people--a fifth of the enslaved population of the South--that set the institution of slavery on a path to destruction.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn an engrossing work of narrative history, critically acclaimed historian Tom Zoellner introduces an unforgettable cast of characters whose stories will transform our popular understanding of how slavery ended. \u003cem\u003eThe Road Was Full of Thorns\u003c\/em\u003e shows what emancipation looked and felt like for the people who made the desperate flight across dangerous territory: the taste of mud in the mouth, the terror of the slave patrols, and the fateful crossing into Union lines. Zoellner also reveals how the least powerful Americans changed the politics of war--forcing President Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation and opening the door to universal Black citizenship.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFor readers of \u003cem\u003eThe 1619 Project\u003c\/em\u003e--and anyone interested in the Civil War--\u003cem\u003eThe Road Was Full of Thorns\u003c\/em\u003e is destined to reshape how we think about the story of American freedom.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eTom Zoellner \u003c\/b\u003eis the author of nine nonfiction books, including \u003cem\u003eIsland on Fire: The Revolt That Ended Slavery in the British Empire\u003c\/em\u003e, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for the best nonfiction book of 2020. He works as a professor at Chapman University and as an editor-at-large for the \u003cem\u003eLos Angeles Review of Books\u003c\/em\u003e. He lives in Los Angeles.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 320\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.1 x 8.6 x 5.4 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e September 30, 2025\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51978274537773,"sku":"9798893850086","price":32.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0938\/3185\/6429\/files\/FqAzkiAQT69798893850086.webp?v=1775801396","url":"https:\/\/ishookbooks.com\/products\/the-road-was-full-of-thorns-running-toward-freedom-in-the-american-civil-war-hardcover","provider":"iShook Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}