"This novel, published in 1898, tells the story of four carefree young women, all physically indistinguishable from white women, off for a vacation at a Massachusetts resort--a vacation that ultimately leads to their struggle for salvation and their commitment to Christian service. Combining conventions from spritual autobiography with those of the sentimental novel, the book sets off on an evangelical mission aimed at showing readers how they should...

Behind the Scenes is the life story of Elizabeth Keckley, a shrewd entrepreneur who, while enslaved, raised enough money to purchase freedom for herself and her son. Keckley moved to Washington, D.C., where she worked as a seamstress and dressmaker for the wives of influential politicians. She eventually became a close confidante of Mary Todd Lincoln. Several years after President Lincoln's assassination, when Mrs. Lincoln's financial situation had...