Vigilance

The Life of William Still, Father of the Underground Railroad

By: Andrew K. Diemer

Narrated by: Cary Hite

Length: 12 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

The remarkable and inspiring story of William Still, an unknown abolitionist who dedicated his life to managing a critical section of the Underground Railroad in Philadelphia—the free state directly north of the Mason-Dixon line—helping hundreds of people escape from slavery

Born free in 1821 to two parents who had been enslaved, William Still was drawn to anti-slavery work from a young age. Hired as a clerk at the Anti-Slavery office in Philadelphia after teaching himself to read and write, he began directly assisting enslaved people who were crossing over from the South into freedom. Andrew Diemer captures the full range and accomplishments of Still’s life, from his resistance to Fugitive Slave Laws and his relationship with John Brown before the war, to his long career fighting for citizenship rights and desegregation until the early 20th century.

Despite Still’s disappearance from history books, during his lifetime he was known as “the Father of the Underground Railroad.” Working alongside Harriet Tubman and others at the center of the struggle for Black freedom, Still helped to lay the groundwork for long-lasting activism in the Black community, insisting that the success of their efforts lay not in the work of a few charismatic leaders, but in the cultivation of extensive grassroots networks.

Through meticulous research and engaging writing, Vigilance establishes William Still in his rightful place in American history as a major figure of the abolitionist movement.

©2022 Andrew K. Diemer (P)2022 Random House Audio

Important history of a brave man

I have read histories of the Underground Railroad and recently enjoyed The Agitators about Harriet Tubman, Mrs. Seward, and others involved in aiding fugitives seeking freedom from slavery. William Still worked with Tubman and others in Philadelphia and spent much of his adult life helping the Black community. What a lively and well-researched and told biography this is. I enjoyed it and learned a lot.

The heroes who freed the US from slavery

Well-told story of the incredibly courageous men and women who escaped from slavery and of all those who broke the "law" to help them to freedom. America needs more and more of this history. I grew up in the 1950s and 60s, and we never learned about the Great Migration in school - although we learned about the Irish, Germans, Italians, Chinese immigrants. We never learned about the black soldiers who ensured the Union won the Civil War - though Ulysses Grant praised their role in victory.

Narrator Cay Hite is excellent - articulate, good voice, and he doesn't end every sentence with 'upward inflection'! Well done.