A Most Perilous World: The True Story of the Young Abolitionists and Their Crusade Against Slavery

The stories of the four teenage children of prominent abolitionists before and during the Civil War combine to form a surprisingly familiar tapestry of struggle, disappointment, and ultimately hope.

"Impeccable research and incredible details bring the stories of these four young people to life as they come of age in the years leading up to and during the Civil War."--Kip Wilson, award-winning author of White Rose

Flowers in the Gutter author Kristina R. Gaddy tells the story of America's tumultuous years leading up to the Civil War and of the war itself from the viewpoints of four children of famous abolitionists, including those of Frederick Douglass and William Lloyd Garrison. Gaddy crafts a surprisingly contemporary coming-of-age narrative, supported by meticulous research and featuring dozens of primary documents. Each of these four young people--two white, two Black--was strongly committed to the anti-slavery cause but felt just as keenly a need to make their own names, away from the often over-protective or disapproving shadows of the famous adults in their lives. This is a true story of how a torch of resistance is passed and how a new generation makes its mark.

Author: Kristina R. Gaddy
Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Dutton Books for Young Readers
Published: 06/10/2025
Pages: 352
Weight: 1.1lbs
Size: 9.13h x 6.06w x 1.50d
ISBN: 9780593855522


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 03/31/2025
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 06/01/2025
Booklist 05/01/2025 pg. 72
Kirkus Reviews 05/15/2025
School Library Journal 06/01/2025 pg. 102
Horn Book Magazine 07/01/2025 pg. 113
Hornbook Guide to Children 01/01/2025 - Superior,Well Above Average

About the Author
K. R. Gaddy is a freelance writer and historian. Her previous work includes Flowers in the Gutter, which Kirkus praised as "an eye-opening account of tenacity that brings the efforts of young anti-Nazi activists vividly to life" in a starred review, and Well of Souls, which the Economist called "beguiling...Gaddy successfully blends archival skills with imagination." She received a Robert W. Deutsch Foundation Rubys Artist Grant for her writing and research. She lives in Baltimore.