The sewing girl's tale : a story of crime and consequences in Revolutionary America / John Wood Sweet.
"A riveting historical drama that tells the story of the first rape trial on record in American history and the fault lines of class privilege and gender bias that it exposed, showing how much has changed over two centuries and how much has not"-- Provided by publisher
Summer, 1793. A crime was committed in the back room of a New York brothel-- the kind of crime that even victims usually kept secret. Instead, seventeen-year-old seamstress Lanah Sawyer charged a gentleman with rape. Her accusation sparked a raw courtroom drama and a relentless struggle for vindication that threatened both Lanah's and her assailant's lives. The trial exposed a predatory sexual underworld, sparked riots in the streets, and ignited a vigorous debate about class privilege and sexual double standards. Sweet takes us from a chance encounter in the street, and shows that if our laws and our culture were changed by a persistent young woman and the power of words two hundred years ago, they can be changed again--Adapted from dust jacket
Record details
- ISBN: 9781250761965
- ISBN: 1250761964
- Physical Description: 365 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color), maps ; 25 cm
- Edition: First edition
- Publisher: New York : Henry Holt and Company, 2022
- Copyright: ©2022
Content descriptions
Bibliography, etc. Note: | Includes bibliographical references (pages 287-347) and index. |
Formatted Contents Note: | Prologue -- Rescue -- Mother Carey -- Daylight -- The rake -- The pilot -- Gatekeepers -- The prosecutrix -- Closing arguments -- Outrage -- Seduction -- Recovery -- Epilogue. |
Awards Note: | Francis Parkman Prize, 2023 Bancroft Prize, 2023 |
Search for related items by subject
Genre: | True crime stories. History True crime stories True crime stories. Récits criminels. |
Other Formats and Editions
Show Only Available Copies
Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Burlington Public Library | 345.7302 SWEET 2022 | 39851001741793 | New Non-fiction | Copy hold | Available | - |
Summary:
"A riveting historical drama that tells the story of the first rape trial on record in American history and the fault lines of class privilege and gender bias that it exposed, showing how much has changed over two centuries and how much has not"--
Summer, 1793. A crime was committed in the back room of a New York brothel-- the kind of crime that even victims usually kept secret. Instead, seventeen-year-old seamstress Lanah Sawyer charged a gentleman with rape. Her accusation sparked a raw courtroom drama and a relentless struggle for vindication that threatened both Lanah's and her assailant's lives. The trial exposed a predatory sexual underworld, sparked riots in the streets, and ignited a vigorous debate about class privilege and sexual double standards. Sweet takes us from a chance encounter in the street, and shows that if our laws and our culture were changed by a persistent young woman and the power of words two hundred years ago, they can be changed again--Adapted from dust jacket
Summer, 1793. A crime was committed in the back room of a New York brothel-- the kind of crime that even victims usually kept secret. Instead, seventeen-year-old seamstress Lanah Sawyer charged a gentleman with rape. Her accusation sparked a raw courtroom drama and a relentless struggle for vindication that threatened both Lanah's and her assailant's lives. The trial exposed a predatory sexual underworld, sparked riots in the streets, and ignited a vigorous debate about class privilege and sexual double standards. Sweet takes us from a chance encounter in the street, and shows that if our laws and our culture were changed by a persistent young woman and the power of words two hundred years ago, they can be changed again--Adapted from dust jacket