Twice Enslaved: Liberty and Justice for Henrietta Wood

Here is the story of Henrietta Wood, who was enslaved twice--but who demanded justice and was awarded the largest reparations ever granted for enslavement.

A nonfiction book for ages 9-12 that puts a human face on the current issue of reparations.

Henrietta Wood was born enslaved. As a teen she was ripped from her family and sold. Years later, a miracle happened, and she was given freedom papers. But Henrietta’s freedom was short-lived. She was tricked back into enslavement and sent to a Mississippi cotton plantation.

On June 19, 1865--Juneteenth--she was emancipated. Finally free for good, Henrietta Wood sued the man who had kidnapped her back into enslavement--and she won! Henrietta was one of the few people in United States history to ever receive a reparation payment for slavery.

Twice Enslaved is a true story of cruelty, resilience, and ultimately triumph, told lyrically for middle-grade readers by Selene Castrovilla and illustrated in full color by artist Erin Robinson.

Selene Castrovilla is the author of Seeking Freedom, an ALSC Notable Children’s Book, a Virginia Readers’ Choice, a CCBC Choice, and a New York Public Library Best Book. She has written several books for Calkins Creek, including Revolutionary Friends, Revolutionary Rogues, and George Washington’s Spectacular Spectacles.

Erin K. Robinson is an Emmy-nominated illustrator trained at the Parsons School of Design and the Corcoran School of the Arts & Design. Erin’s illustrations have been featured in the New York Times and the Washington Post and in many books, including Brave. Black. First.: 50+ African American Women Who Changed the World and A Library. She also designed the 2022 US postage stamp for Kwanzaa.