About
I'm an American writer living in Portugal. I've long had a fascination with history, particularly with the little-known corners of history that don't appear in textbooks.
My most recent book is Liberty Brought Us Here, which tells the compelling true story of two families of formerly enslaved people who migrated from the United States to Liberia, Africa, in 1836. They corresponded with their former owner for 15 years and part of the story is told in their own words. Altogether, 16,000 Black Americans migrated to Liberia in the 1800s.
My work-in-progress tells the equally compelling story of Aristides de Sousa Mendes. "Who?" you might ask.
Aristides was a Portuguese diplomat in World War II who defied his government's direct orders and issued 4,000 or more visas that allowed desperate refugees -- including many Jews -- to leave Europe via Lisbon. Visa recipients included Salvador Dali and his wife, Huey Lewis's mother, the Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg, Anne Frank's cousin, many of the wealthy Rothschild family, and thousands of not-so-famous but equally desperate people. The Portuguese dictator was furious over the diplomat's disobedience and severely punished him. Aristides died penniless, his family shattered and his reputation in tatters.
I've also written articles for Portugal Living magazine, the Liberian Studies Journal, and other publications, and have had several essays and short stories published.
Featured Work
Liberty Brought Us Here: The True Story of American Slaves Who Migrated to Liberia
Between 1820 and 1913, approximately 16,000 Black people left the United States to start new lives in Liberia, Africa -- including Tolbert Major, a single father and formerly enslaved man. He, several family members, and seventy other people boarded the Luna on July 5, 1836. After they arrived in Liberia, Tolbert penned a letter to his former owner, Ben Major: "Dear Sir, we have all landed on the shores of Africa and got into our houses. . . . None of us have been taken with the fever yet."
Drawing on extensive research and fifteen years of surviving letters between the formerly enslaved and the former slave owner, author Susan E. Lindsey illuminates the trials and triumphs of building a new life in Liberia, where settlers were free, but struggled to acclimate themselves to an unfamiliar land, co-exist with indigenous groups, and overcome disease and other dangers.
Published by University Press of Kentucky. Available in print, e-book, and audio formats.
