Michaela MacColl

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Remembering Their Names

Of all the volunteer work I do, the most satisfying is what I do to help our local Westport Historical Society. For the past year, our exhibit has been called “Remembered: The African-American Experience” in Westport. Everyone I have brought to this exhibit says the same thing…. “We had slaves in Westport?” In fact we have the names or descriptions of 240 names in the late 18th – early 19th c. of persons who were enslaved right here.

First Names Only

The names are usually only first names. Amos. Dorcas. Ned. Phillip. Tom. Nancy. These were the most common. Some were heart-breakingly ironic – Prince or Fortune. Then the odd ones. Gin. Coffee. Or how about Wench? Or Negro child. Of the 240, about 20 were the names of persons who were freed. Another 25 are listed as the children of other slaves and therefore the property of their owners. Slavery wasn’t fully abolished in CT until 1848.

Two Daughters Named Eliza

Dred Scott sued for his freedom to protect his daughters. The case went to the Supreme Court. There he was told that he and his family, by virtue of being black, were not actually American and never could be. Therefore they had no standing to sue in court. When I wrote Freedom’s Promise about Dred Scott’s daughter Eliza I discovered that his daughters were both named Eliza. He and his wife, both slaves, did this deliberately to confuse their absentee owner about the ages of their children. As their daughter grew up, they were more valuable. Dred and Harriet hoped to fool their owner into thinking that the Elizas were too young to sell. Ironically the duplication of names was a defense.

Remember Their Names

Yesterday I spent several hours with our Executive Director, Ramin Ganeshram, arranging bricks for a permanent memorial to remember their names. It was a massive amount of work and the absolute least we could to make sure we never forget.

Pagoda Hill

I’ve been away for a long time because I’ve been under contract working on a book for Calkins Creek. It’s a family story about an ancestor of mine from Shanghai, China. She came to America as a little girl and lived in upstate New York.  She was homesick and her father arranged for an artist to paint an enormous pagoda on the family barn.

I’ve discovered my ‘family story’ is actually one that resonates with the immigration debate today. Nina, my ancestor, came here just a few years before the United States passed the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882.  This is the only law that prohibited immigraition based solely on nationality.  It was not repealed until 1943! Nina was OK because she was the daughter of an American and therefore American herself. But you have to wonder how she felt coming to a country where the dominant refrain was “Chinese Go Home.”

Here’s the barn and Nina!

Freedom’s Price is a New Book for Missouri Students

The Missouri State Teachers Association has selectee Freedom’s Price to be recommended book for Missouri students.  The heart of this book is about Eliza Scott, daughter to the famous Dredd Scott, fighting to get an education in St. Louis MO in the 1840s.  I’m delighted that kids in Missouri will be directed toward this book!

 

Freedoms Price Cover

Booklist Loves The Lost Ones

Booklist Online Exclusive: September 29, 2016

The Lost Ones.

Casita and her family thought their village of Lipan Apache, in Mexico, would be safe from U.S. Cavalry raids. But one fateful day in 1877 proves how wrong they are. Casita witnesses the brutal murder of her mother and the destruction of their village before she is forcibly relocated to Fort Clark in Texas with her younger brother and other survivors. While most survivors are exiled to reservations, Casita and her brother, Jack, are looked after by a kindhearted military family until they are wrenched away again, this time to the Carlisle Industrial Indian School in Pennsylvania. Haunted by the past yet still looking for a future, spirited, sensitive Casita navigates the confusing white world while still holding to her Apache identity. Readers will cheer her determined spirit in the face of shattering loss. Highly engaging historical fiction and based on actual people, MacColl’s Hidden Histories series tale is powerful storytelling and an excellent prompt for classroom discussion of Indian policy.

— Anne O’Malley

The Blog Tour stops at Bloglovin’

My favorite line from this review:

“Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was a real delight to read! I highly recommend it to fans of Jane Austen, but also those who are not quite familiar with her history because this book allows you to understand a bit more about one of the greatest literary writers ever. MacColl has also included an author’s note (which I really appreciated), about the differences from her book and history & she’s included a bibliography (yay!).”

 

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“A Charming Historical Mystery” SLJ Loves Secrets in the Snow

I am in love with this review of Secrets in the Snow — so rarely does a reviewer get exactly what you were trying to do:

Secrets in the Snow

School Library Journal

October 1, 2016 

“A charming historical mystery.”—School Library Journal                     

Nineteen-year-old Jane Austen—yes, that Jane Austen—finds herself entwined in some serious intrigue when the War Office suggests that her cousin, whose French aristocrat husband lost his head to the guillotine, might be engaged in traitorous activity against England. Jane is determined to get to the bottom of the situation, even if it means veering into unladylike territory. Adding to the drama, a gentleman studying the law has entered Jane’s social circle—and all of her family members are eager to encourage a marriage match regardless of his condescending first impression. MacColl’s fidelity to Austen’s biography and family, with a bit of creative license woven in, results in a charming historical mystery. Her playfulness with Austen’s voice is a delight, and she peppers the story with hints at characters and plot points from the author’s oeuvre—nothing that distracts from the narrative, but tidbits that serve as inside jokes to readers who have already dived into her works. These elements more than make up for a somewhat rushed conclusion. Readers whose interest in Austen is piqued will enjoy the biographical back matter. VERDICT A solid addition for fans of cozy mysteries and literary reimaginings.

I’m Grateful to the Grateful American Prize

Freedom’s Price has been awarded the Honorable Mention by the Grateful American Prize.

Freedoms Price Covergrateful-american-hon-men-2016

Here’s the criteria:

The GRATEFUL AMERICAN™ BOOK PRIZE is the only award for excellence in writing, storytelling and illustration for children’s historical non-fiction and fiction focused on the events and personalities that have shaped the United States since the country’s founding.

I’m so flattered to say that this is the second time one of my books has been so honored. Last year, The Revelation of Louisa May was the recipient.