In addition to telling the story of Harriet Tubman’s life, Adler helps readers understand her world, from the lives of slaves to the methods of the Underground Railroad to the social conditions in nineteenth-century America. Born into slavery in the early 1820s, Tubman was put to work around age five and hired out at six. A blow to the head left her with narcolepsy—a dangerous condition for a conductor on the Underground Railroad—and visions, which both expressed her religious faith and strengthened her resolve. Adler traces Tubman’s escape from slavery, her many trips leading other slaves northward, and her ceaseless striving to relieve suffering and to work for freedom in her world. He also gives vivid accounts of slave rescues she led and offers insight into her relationships with other notable figures of the day. Meticulously documented, this clearly written book builds a convincing portrayal of its subject through carefully chosen details and the skilled use of narrative and of pe.