Never Caught

By: Erica Armstrong Dunbar

Narrated by: Robin Miles

A startling and eye-opening look into America's first family, Never Caught is the powerful narrative of Ona Judge, George and Martha Washington's runaway slave who risked it all to escape the nation's capital and reach freedom.

When George Washington was elected president, he reluctantly left behind his beloved Mount Vernon to serve in Philadelphia, the temporary seat of the nation's capital. In setting up his household, he took Tobias Lear, his celebrated secretary, and eight slaves, including Ona Judge, about which little has been written. As he grew accustomed to Northern ways, there was one change he couldn't get his arms around: Pennsylvania law required enslaved people be set free after six months of residency in the state. Rather than comply, Washington decided to circumvent the law. Every six months he sent the slaves back down south, just as the clock was about to expire.

Though Ona Judge lived a life of relative comfort, the few pleasantries she was afforded were nothing compared to freedom, a glimpse of which she encountered firsthand in Philadelphia. So, when the opportunity presented itself one cold spring day in Philadelphia, Judge left everything she knew to escape to New England. Yet freedom would not come without its costs.

At just 22 years old, Ona became the subject of an intense manhunt led by George Washington, who used his political and personal contacts to recapture his property.

Impeccably researched, historian Erica Armstrong Dunbar weaves a powerful tale and offers fascinating new scholarship on how one young woman risked it all to gain freedom from the famous founding father.

©2017 Erica Armstrong Dunbar (P)2017 Simon & Schuster

Well done

Fantastic book! Brings you into the world of Ona Judge, the free and enslaved black communities, and the enslavers — George and Martha Washington. Dunbar brings out the politics of the day and clearly illustrates the lengths the Washingtons went to to maintain slavery as abolitionist voices increased. More than anything, this book brings the courageous story of Ona Judge to the foreground. Like good books of history, Dunbar helps you understand the time period better. Highly recommend.

Informative

I learned a great deal about the early United States and slavery but wish the book included much more material from the Ona Judge interviews.

excellent source of history

Very well narrated. Learned a lot I never knew before or was taught in school.

Great listen!

This book is well researched and presented. It presents a hidden history. I highly recommend it.

Wonderful Telling of Actual History

This book is 5 stars. As a whit woman, I am moved. As an American, I am ashamed that “human property” was ever part of our culture. If you want actual history, this book is for you. If you only want white history, then this may aggravate your sensibilities.

Kudos to Erica Armstrong Dunbar for “stumbling” across a notice and following down a rabbit hole. We are all enlightened by her perseverance. Thank you.

so good

This is the first book in many years that I have finished in a under a month

The HERstory we get to learn now

All I ever knew of Washington and the slaves he owned was that upon his death, they were all given their freedom. Now with this story, you learn that the majority of the slaves were owned by Martha Washington and what they did during their time in Philadelphia to keep all of their slaves. I've been telling everyone about this story. Everyone should know this story!

Great Book

Very interesting book, just be aware that some of what she writes is not fact, but assumptions that she makes in order to make the story interesting.

Ona Judge, Courageous Woman

If you could sum up Never Caught in three words, what would they be?

Ona Judge's desire for freedom energized her as she planned and executed her escape to freedom.

Have you listened to any of Robin Miles’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I was spellbound learning about this story and the lives of enslaved people on the Mt. Vernon Plantation. I cried about their living conditions and their lack of choice regarding their lives. I was shocked to learn about George Washington's financial situation and that enslaved people at the plantation were valued for the amount of money they would bring on the auction block.

I was also stunned at Martha Curtis Washington's die-hard support for the institution of slavery. Her comfort as well as the comfort of her family were foremost in her mind. Her attitude was that the enslaved people at Mt. Vernon were there to respond to the needs and wants of the owner's family.

A Real Gem

I was amazed to learn of the story of Ona Judge and shocked to learn George Washington owned over 300 slaves. I think this was a closely guarded secret. Did it make a difference in the way I look at Washington? Yes, I think it did. Like Jefferson, slavery was such a sharp contrast to this new free nation where al, men were created equal. excep for slaves who were three fifths of a person. I am glad he Emancipated his slaves after his death. I think it shows slavery was not an easy pill to swallow. I highly recommend this book