Freedom lost, freedom won : a personal history of America / Eugene Robinson.
On March 27, 1829, a wealthy white planter and entrepreneur named Richard Fordham purchased four enslaved African Americans from a woman named Isabella Perman. One of them was Eugene Robinson's great-great-grandfather, a boy called Harry. Starting from this transaction, which took place in Charleston, South Carolina, Freedom Lost, Freedom Won brings to life two hundred years of our nation's history through the eyes of the remarkable family that Harry founded. Assigned a formal name--Harry Fordham--and put to work as a blacksmith, he secured his freedom a decade before the Civil War. He was there when victorious Union troops marched into Charleston in 1865, ending slavery and guaranteeing liberty for Black people--only on paper, though, and only for a time. Robinson traces the arc of his familial lineage through the repeated cycles in which African Americans have fought their way upward toward freedom and opportunity, been forced back down again, and renewed their determined climb.
Record details
- ISBN: 1982176717
- ISBN: 9781982176716
- Physical Description: 318 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, genealogical table, portraits ; 24 cm
- Edition: First Simon & Schuster hardcover edition.
- Publisher: New York, NY : Simon & Schuster, 2026
- Copyright: ©2026
Content descriptions
- Bibliography, etc. Note:
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 293-298) and index.
- Formatted Contents Note:
- The Robinson & Fordham families -- A boy called Harry -- Proud but tenuous freedom -- War and survival -- The making of Major Fordham -- 'Give us a fair chance in life's battle' -- Death and the red summer -- The next Fordham generation -- The Robinsons make the great migration -- Jim Crow and hard times -- White supremacy digs in -- The movement gathers strength -- The Orangeburg Massacre -- A window of opportunity -- The Obama moment -- The backlash-and the cycle continues -- Acknowledgments -- Notes -- Index.
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Available copies
- 14 of 20 copies available at NC Cardinal.
- 0 of 1 copy available at McDowell County Public Library. (Show)
Holds
- 2 current holds with 20 total copies.
Show Only Available Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marion Library | BIO ROB (Text) | 37810460003584 | Adult New Biography | Checked out | 08/18/2026 |
| Black Mountain Library | 973.0496 ROB (Text) | 0020514143955 | Adult New Nonfiction | Available | - |
| Braswell Memorial Main Library | 973.0496 Rob (Text) | 37807000075769 | Adult New Nonfiction | Checked out | 08/12/2026 |
| Cleveland County Main Library | B ROBINSON (Text) | 22281500163658 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
| Cliffdale Library | 973.0496 ROB (Text) | 31781069637906 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
| Cumberland Headquarters | 973.0496 ROB (Text) | 31781069637914 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
| Fairview Library | 973.0496 ROB (Text) | 0020514064706 | Adult New Nonfiction | Available | - |
| Farmville Public Library | B ROB (Text) | 23900000105005 | Adult Biography | Available | - |
| Farmville Public Library | ON ORDER (Text) | FRM9781982176716 | On Order | On order | - |
| Goldsboro Library | 973.049 ROB (Text) | 900005000329404 | Adult New Nonfiction | Available | - |
Accessibility Features
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| 245 | 1 | 0. | ‡aFreedom lost, freedom won : ‡ba personal history of America / ‡cEugene Robinson. |
| 246 | 3 | 0. | ‡aPersonal history of America |
| 250 | . | ‡aFirst Simon & Schuster hardcover edition. | |
| 264 | 1. | ‡aNew York, NY : ‡bSimon & Schuster, ‡c2026 | |
| 264 | 4. | ‡c©2026 | |
| 300 | . | ‡a318 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : ‡billustrations, genealogical table, portraits ; ‡c24 cm | |
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| 504 | . | ‡aIncludes bibliographical references (pages 293-298) and index. | |
| 505 | 0 | . | ‡aThe Robinson & Fordham families -- A boy called Harry -- Proud but tenuous freedom -- War and survival -- The making of Major Fordham -- 'Give us a fair chance in life's battle' -- Death and the red summer -- The next Fordham generation -- The Robinsons make the great migration -- Jim Crow and hard times -- White supremacy digs in -- The movement gathers strength -- The Orangeburg Massacre -- A window of opportunity -- The Obama moment -- The backlash-and the cycle continues -- Acknowledgments -- Notes -- Index. |
| 520 | . | ‡aOn March 27, 1829, a wealthy white planter and entrepreneur named Richard Fordham purchased four enslaved African Americans from a woman named Isabella Perman. One of them was Eugene Robinson's great-great-grandfather, a boy called Harry. Starting from this transaction, which took place in Charleston, South Carolina, Freedom Lost, Freedom Won brings to life two hundred years of our nation's history through the eyes of the remarkable family that Harry founded. Assigned a formal name--Harry Fordham--and put to work as a blacksmith, he secured his freedom a decade before the Civil War. He was there when victorious Union troops marched into Charleston in 1865, ending slavery and guaranteeing liberty for Black people--only on paper, though, and only for a time. Robinson traces the arc of his familial lineage through the repeated cycles in which African Americans have fought their way upward toward freedom and opportunity, been forced back down again, and renewed their determined climb. | |
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