Globe Pequot / Lyons Press
Pages: 256
•
Trim: 6 x 9
978-1-4930-0846-9 • Hardback • January 2016 • $25.95 • (£19.95)
978-1-4930-2967-9 • Paperback • September 2017 • $17.95 • (£13.95)
978-1-4930-2419-3 • eBook • January 2016 • $16.99 • (£12.95)
Jesse J. Holland is the author of Black Men Built the Capitol: Discovering African American History In and Around Washington, D.C. (Globe Pequot, 2007) and a longtime Washington correspondent for The Associated Press, the world’s largest news organization. Since moving to Washington, D.C. in 2000, Holland has covered the White House, the Congress, and the Supreme Court for The AP. A regular guest on CNN, NBC, Fox News, PBS, C-SPAN's Washington Journal and ABC's News Now, Holland speaks frequently on African American and Washington political topics. Holland is a member of the National Press Club, the National Association of Black Journalists, the Capital Press Club, the Washington Association of Black Journalists, and the Society of Professional Journalists. Holland is a sought after-speaker on African American history and politics, having lectured at universities and institutions like Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in New York City. Holland lives in Bowie, Maryland, with his wife and children.
“Jesse J. Holland's riveting book The Invisibles shines a long overdue light on the enslaved men and women who were forced to serve in the nation's seat of executive power—The White House. Not only does Holland reveal this ugly chapter of American history with sharp analysis and insight, he reveals the blatant hypocrisy of the nation's presidents and other leaders in permitting such a system of forcible servitude to exist. More importantly, he brings to life the stories and experiences of this group of nearly forgotten African Americans, who showed remarkable courage and resilient character despite being imprisoned by slavery in the heart of the so-called ‘land of the free.’"
--J.D. Dickey, author of Empire of Mud: The Secret History of Washington, DC
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“Oney Judge, who dared to flee to freedom from George Washington’s household. Edith Hern Fossett, a chef trained to prepare French delicacies for Thomas Jefferson. Andrew Jackson’s wily jockeys. Jesse J. Holland makes visible the courage, expertise and fortitude of the slaves held by U.S. presidents. Holland’s contribution to a complete history of our complex nation is one worth savoring.”
--Donna Bryson, author of It's A Black White Thing
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“Jesse Holland's The Invisibles uncovers White House secrets certain Presidents surely would have kept buried. Those Presidents who owned human beings and those who rejected slavery will come as a surprise. The Invisibles is a revealing journey for all readers. This is American history told well.”
--Gloria J. Browne-Marshall, author of The U.S. Constitution: An African-American Context and Race, Law, and American Society: 1607 to Present
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"If you want to know the real history of the White House or the U.S. presidency, you must read Jesse Holland's The Invisibles. He not only writes in crisp and engaging prose, but Holland has done the extensive research necessary to bring to life the slaves who toiled in anonymity for the nation's early presidents, sharing quarters in the executive mansion with some of the most powerful men in the world. From William Lee, George Washington's manservant, to the hundreds of nameless slaves who labored for another 11 U.S. presidents, Holland tells their complicated and engaging tales, providing critical heretofore largely overlooked context to events that we learned about in grade school."
--Del Quentin Wilber, author of Rawhide Down: The Near Assassination of Ronald Reagan
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