As someone who loves to learn more about the unknown aspects of slavery, this book provided a lot of information that was a bit challenging to digest. I wanted to love it but struggled to get through it. I will try to re-read again as I think the information provided is vital to know.

A well-researched look at Great Dismal Swamp of Virginia and North Carolina.

I am not sure that people really understand the different slave classes. This work gives us as much information as can be found about this city of refuge for runaway slaves. People today would call it living off the grid. HIding in a swamp, creating their own forms of currency and working closely with slaves and white people.

The amount of information is really quite extraordinary, as these men/women tended to leave no tracks. I can't imagine how long this work took, but I am better for having read it.

As a descendant of the man who wrote the runaway slave act, I was deeply moved by this book.

City of Refuge was a book I wanted to love but I was disappointed. The writing was slow and seemed forced.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. Having a great interest in slavery, civil rights, and Virginia, I thought this book would give and interesting view of slavery and runaways in the Great Dismal Swamp. It was a struggle to read through the very dry narrative and the dearth of facts related to individuals and groups in the swamp. The author used assumptions and extrapolations to fill out the story. The potential for a good story is there but the lack of primary source material damaged the reading experience.