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The Sewing Girl's Tale

A Story of Crime and Consequences in Revolutionary America
By John Wood Sweet
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Check link for latest rating. ( 2,330 ratings, 431 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Sewing Girl's Tale by John Wood Sweet is a gripping true crime narrative set in 18th-century America. It delves into the harrowing story of a young seamstress whose assault and subsequent pursuit of justice challenge societal norms and question the era's legal and cultural frameworks. A compelling exploration of resilience and the quest for justice in a turbulent time.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might like this book if you enjoy gripping true crime stories that delve into historical events with rich, intricate details. This book may appeal to you if you are fascinated by tales of justice, societal challenges, and the resilience of individuals in tumultuous times.

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

The Sewing Girl's Tale by John Wood Sweet is a gripping Revolutionary Era drama that delves into the first published rape trial in American history and its lasting repercussions. This illuminating narrative explores the changes — and the continuities — spanning over two centuries.

On a moonless night in the summer of 1793, a grievous crime unfolded in the back room of a New York brothel — the kind of crime typically shrouded in silence. Breaking this silence was seventeen-year-old seamstress Lanah Sawyer, who accused a gentleman of rape, an unprecedented step in US history.

Lanah's accusation ignited a fervent courtroom drama and a relentless quest for justice, endangering the lives of both herself and her assailant. The trial unveiled a predatory sexual underworld, incited street riots, and provoked a passionate debate about class privilege and sexual double standards. The unfolding conflict enlisted the nation’s foremost legal minds, including Alexander Hamilton, and played a pivotal role in shaping American law. The crime and its aftermath emerged as a parable about the allure of seduction and the boundaries of justice. While Lanah Sawyer ultimately succeeded in holding her assailant accountable, it came at a tremendous personal cost.

Crafted through meticulous historical research, this book transports readers from a chance street encounter to the sanctuaries of city elites, the shadows of brothels, and the gloom of debtors’ prisons. The Sewing Girl's Tale demonstrates that if one persistent young woman, through the power of words, could instigate legal and cultural transformation two hundred years ago, similar changes remain possible today.

This edition includes photographs to enrich the narrative.

New York Times Editors' Choice
Winner of the Bancroft Prize
Winner of the Francis Parkman Prize
Winner of the Gotham Book Prize
Winner of the New York Society Library's New York City Book Award
Journal of the American Revolution Book of the Year
Winner of the David J. Langum, Sr. Prize in American Legal History

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

The Sewing Girl's Tale by John Wood Sweet has received excellent reviews praising its engrossing narrative and detailed historical context. The New York Times Book Review commends it as an absorbing social and cultural history, while The Wall Street Journal extols it as a vividly intimate portrait of early American life. Experts highlight its balanced blend of true crime, courtroom drama, and social analysis, noting Sweet's ability to bring historical figures and contexts to life with impressive research and gripping storytelling.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781250871480

Publisher: St Martin's Press

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 11 July 2023

Country: United States

Imprint: St Martin's Press

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 33.0mm

Width: 155.0mm

Height: 231.0mm

Weight: 468g

Pages: 384

Collections

American & Canadian History Best Sellers at Book Hero Biography & Memoir Crime & Thriller Education & Reference Fiction Gifts $20-$50 History & Archaeology History & Military In Stock Books In-Stock Fiction Books John Wood Sweet New Zealand and Australia Published True Crime

About the Author

John Wood Sweet is a professor of history at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the former director of UNC's Program in Sexuality Studies. He has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Mellon Foundation, the National Humanities Center, the Institute for the Arts and Humanities at UNC, and the Gilder Lehrman Center at Yale, among others. His first book, Bodies Politic: Negotiating Race in the American North, 1730-1830, was a finalist for the Frederick Douglass Prize. He was named a Top Young Historian by the History News Network and has served as an Organization of American Historians Distinguished Lecturer. He lives in Chapel Hill with his husband, son, and daughter.

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