This book offers a compelling and necessary reexamination of a lesser-known group of abolitionists—those who sought to end slavery not through war, but through peace and moral persuasion. Centered around figures like William Lloyd Garrison and the so-called Boston Clique, it challenges the conventional narrative that violence was the only viable path to emancipation during the Civil War era.

What stood out most to me was the way the book elevated the voices of both prominent and often-overlooked abolitionists—Black and white, male and female—who were committed to pacifism as a means of social transformation. The author does an excellent job weaving together a variety of historical figures, while not shying away from the philosophical and moral tensions within the movement itself. The narrative prompts readers to ask difficult but vital questions about the ethics of violence, historical memory, and what justice might look like when pursued through peace.
This book offers a compelling and necessary reexamination of a lesser-known group of abolitionists—those who sought to end slavery not through war, but through peace and moral persuasion. Centered around figures like William Lloyd Garrison and the so-called Boston Clique, it challenges the conventional narrative that violence was the only viable path to emancipation during the Civil War era.

What stood out most to me was the way the book elevated the voices of both prominent and often-overlooked abolitionists—Black and white, male and female—who were committed to pacifism as a means of social transformation. The author does an excellent job weaving together a variety of historical figures, while not shying away from the philosophical and moral tensions within the movement itself. The narrative prompts readers to ask difficult but vital questions about the ethics of violence, historical memory, and what justice might look like when pursued through peace.

That said, I gave this book four stars instead of five because, while it offers a deeply thoughtful analysis, I occasionally wished for more narrative momentum. The structure leans heavily on biographical and ideological overviews, which sometimes makes it feel like a history textbook. Still, this is an illuminating, timely, and well-researched account of a path in American history too often ignored. For readers interested in Civil War history, abolitionism, or the philosophical roots of nonviolence, it’s a highly worthwhile read. It challenges us to consider not just what happened in history, but what could have been—and how those possibilities still matter today.

[I received an advanced copy of this book. All reviews and ratings are my own.]
That said, I gave this book four stars instead of five because, while it offers a deeply thoughtful analysis, I occasionally wished for more narrative momentum. The structure leans heavily on biographical and ideological overviews, which sometimes makes it feel like a history textbook. Still, this is an illuminating, timely, and well-researched account of a path in American history too often ignored. For readers interested in Civil War history, abolitionism, or the philosophical roots of nonviolence, it’s a highly worthwhile read. It challenges us to consider not just what happened in history, but what could have been—and how those possibilities still matter today.

[I received an advanced copy of this book. All reviews and ratings are my own.]

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for providing a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Honestly, I really loved this book. It wasn't until I picked it up that I realized I had another book by this author on my TBR for AGES (Salt) and now I'm going to pick it up asap.

This was a history of abolition in Boston, but more accurately, I'd say it's a history of revolution in Boston leading up to the civil war. Kurlansky dedicates large portions of chapters to women's rights and other forms of disobedience, which provides a richer look into the culture of Boston, but I did forget I was reading about abolition at times. However Kurlansky's writing is engaging and paints a really vivid portrait of each of the people he talks about. He highlights all the differences of opinion even within the same movements and I learned a ton.

If I could make one complaint, it would be that I almost felt suffocated by the limitation to Boston at times. It was definitely a very interesting focal point to choose as I feel like a lot of anti-slavery narratives look to the South, and Kurlansky did look outside of Boston a bit to fill in some details, but for the most part we were stuck in Boston as if this was the only place in the world where these debates and conversations were happening. Even if we didn't focus on other countries, other northern cities, or the South in any large capacity, it would've been nice to check in a bit more to see how this Bostonian subculture was interacting with the larger world.

To clarify, I am not a historian, but nothing seemed incorrect or misleading from my limited knowledge, and this book seemed well researched. My rating mostly takes into account my own personal enjoyment as well as how much I felt I learned reading this (which was a lot)