This will be my last book I read this month for Black History month.
I've read some incredible books this month for it, and this is one of them.
The book is so well researched, the author vividly brings Ona Judge's story to life.
This wonderful book honor's Ona Judge, a black woman born into slavery, as she became old enough, she was the Lady's Maid to Martha Washington, President of the United States wife. Even amongst the slaves there is a pecking order. When she displaced a slave a few years older than herself to become the president's wife's personal maid there was jealousy, threats and bodily harm done to herself.
The book follows the daily life of Ona as she is at Washington's home Mount Vernon, always on call as a lady's maid, following every whim Matha has and even having to bow down and answer to the grandchildren of Martha that were younger than her. It was disheartening to see the violent behavior the slaves were subject to in Washington's care. Though most tried to please you couldn't defend yourself with words and had to demurely keep the eyes lowered and heaven help you if you were learning to read or write. This was punishable by beating to death.
Having more than her fill Ona Judge makes an escape to freedom but will she be caught, and freedom taken away?
This dual timeline has in modern times Tessa Scott in Chincoteague, Virginia, surveying a property of the grandmother of an old boyfriend as a favor. Ready to leave she spots an old diary stuck in the fireplace and she grabs it to look at later. Upon further inspection she realizes it's details of Ona Judge's life, her struggles and ultimate betrayal. The book gives her the courage to find the help she needs to leave a controlling relationship.
The book fascinatingly is based on actual people and events and gives the respect and honor Ona Judge deserved.

Pub Date 06 Sep 2022
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

I couldn't put this book down and when I finished it, I needed some time to process. The story was absolutely enthralling, but left me feeling heartbroken and a little misled by history. I know this book is a work of fiction, but I think seeing these almost mythological men who were instrumental in the founding of our nation through a completely different lens was necessary. They seemed to lose a bit of their historical luster as I started to see them more as the products of their time - observing the social norms of the day and being flawed. The fact that our nation was one of the largest perpetrators of what I consider a total crime against humanity, the institution of slavery is often glossed over in the early days of our nation and the United States as a colony of Great Britain. Bravo to the author.

3 Stars
One Liner: This book could have been so much more without the contemporary track

1796, New Hampshire
Ona Judge is the favored dowry slave of Mistress Martha, wife of George Washington, the President of the USA. After years of slavery, she escapes, hoping to lead a free life. However, there’s a reward on her head, and Ona needs to stay alive long enough to tell her story.
Present Day, Chincoteague, Virginia
Tessa Scott agrees to survey Mama Calloway’s ancestral property despite a tight schedule. Life is hard, dealing with her controlling boyfriend and managing her business, but Tessa can’t say no to Mama Calloway.
She stumbles upon an old journal wrapped in a cloth and takes it home to realize it belongs to Aunt Ona, who is quite possibly the famous Ona Judge. As Tessa reads the journal, she realizes the true extent of her past and that it’s high time she took control of her life.
The story comes in the first-person POVs of Ona Judge and Tessa Scott.

My Thoughts:
When I read The Dust Bowl Orphans by the author, I loved how she created two strong characters in the historical and contemporary timelines. I expected something similar in this book but couldn’t find it.
Both books have a few similarities –
1. Dual timeline with the historical one dealing with a true incident/ person and the contemporary track where the FMC tries to uncover the past.
2. A sort of paranormal thing like a faint presence of something, chills, etc.
3. Two epilogues – one for the contemporary track and another by a ghost (or the FMC from the historical timeline) to tie up the loose ends.
By that definition, I should have liked this one as much as the other. In fact, I should have liked it more since Ona Judge is a real person. However, the contemporary track in this one is pretty much a waste. (We’ll get to this later.)
Historical Track
Firstly, the historical track comes from Ona’s POV, detailing her life at different ages (starting at 10). We see the lives of slaves, the lack of dignity and respect, or even how they are not even considered human beings.
From the beginning, Ona’s character comes across as someone extremely aware of her situation and has definite opinions about it. While this highlights the atrocities and racism, it doesn’t ‘show’ them to the reader. Instead, we are hit on the head with her thoughts. It makes sense to an extent since the journal was written by an adult Ona. However, what we read is not a journal but a direct narration by the character.
Still, I don’t mind it much as the track does what it intends to do – expose the duality of the Washingtons and how even ‘heroes’ can be villains. As a non-American, it was easy to imagine this side of the ‘celebrated leaders’. We are rather used to whitewashed versions.
However, even after reading the entire book, I’m not sure if I know One Judge. She is a real person who achieved something many couldn’t. I should have felt her tangible presence on the pages. Sadly, I only got brief glimpses into who she might have been. Moreover, many events seemed to have been glossed over and simplified.
Her story should either have been more fleshed out (creative liberties are already taken, so why not more?) or told in the third person to suit the tone.
Contemporary Track
Well, where do I even begin?
The connection between both tracks is quite flimsy, and we could have done with removing this one altogether. Ona Judge is a great-great-grandaunt of Mama Calloway, a relative of Tessa. And Tessa finds the journal, which helps her make the right decisions about her life.
The problem here is Tessa. She is a walking contradiction and impossible to root for. Right in the first chapter, she says her boyfriend, Dominic, displays controlling behavior and raises red flags. We even ‘see’ it in his actions. Yet, our darling overachiever calls him a prime real estate (no issues with women objectifying men?) a few chapters later (that too after she is almost sure he has cheated on her as well).
One minute, she is worried about being pregnant and doesn’t want to be tied down to him. Yet, she knows he is a long-term planner. Not just that, he blatantly avoids answering her question and tells her she is marriage material (so him sleeping around with other women shouldn’t be a threat), and all this independent young woman can think of is how hot jealousy s*x is (something that is borderline nonconsensual in this scene). Like, seriously?
I already revealed a few spoilers, so won’t mention more. Suffice it to say, Tessa is a failed attempt at combining a successful woman with a victim of abuse, doing justice to neither. While it is true that independent and confident women also end up in abusive relationships, this book doesn’t present the situation well. And the ending is so convenient and easy!

To summarize, My Name Is Ona Judge has its merits and would serve as an introduction to read more about Ona Judge. However, it fails to live up to the potential of the title or the person.
Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

I enjoyed the book: engaging characters, storylines had great pace. Very well written and a great read.

What a spectacular books. I laughed, smiled and cried. I felt so many different emotions that I don't know how to feel. Very well written.

I really wanted to enjoy this novel because I wanted to learn more about George Washington’s runaway slave. While I was fascinated with Ona’s novel, I did not care for the modern storyline. I skipped the modern parts and realized that this was half the novel. Thus, this would have been more emotional and engaging if the novel was focused solely on Ona. Tessa’s story distracted the reader from Ona’s story and was very unnecessary. I’ll be looking for other books about Ona Judge.

This book was definitely a page turner. Loved the contrast between the past and present. Was rooting for the protagonist to wake up and smell the cofee, and to not let this adoring man get away, again!

This novel made me realise how much we carry alot of our ancestors' traits without even realising it. How forever linked we are to our past, as much as we try to run from it.
The characters were believable and plot well written. Great work!

Wow. I'm not surprised at how much of an amazing ride this story was. There is little known about Ona, but this story could probably be the way it went. It was so real and engaging. And for a present day family to possibly be related to this incredibly strong woman is nothing short of amazing. Once I got started, I could not stop until I was completely finished. I am really enjoying these current dual timeline stories that are able to connect the past to the present. It was such a well written and masterful story. And the Washington's were not the only villans in the story. There was a certain other person I wanted to smack that irritated me to my bones. This was such a great and well written story, and I can't wait for the next book from the author.

Thank you for the advance reader copy of this novel. I really tried to get into this historical novel several times. The premise of an escaped slave of George Washington was something that definitely caught my attention. The dual timelines was ok with each voice distinct. The reading I did on the real Ones Judge was great and wouldn't have happened otherwise. Thank you.

In this dual-timeline novel, Suzette D. Harrison interweaves the story of Ona Judge, a favored slave of Martha Washington, with the modern-day story of Tessa Scott, a young Black woman who finds Ona Judge’s journal.

These two first-person narratives complement each other well. As a child aged ten, Ona is taken from her seamstress mother’s home on the Washingtons’ plantation and placed in the main house. Growing up as part of the Washington household, Ona travels from Mount Vernon to Pennsylvania where the Washingtons, anxious to avoid complying with the Gradual Abolition Law, rotate their slave household every six months and thereby prevent Ona and their other enslaved people from obtaining their freedom.

Tessa Scott, meanwhile, is independent, hard-working and smart, a likeable character with relationship problems. From the outset, her partner Dominic is manipulative, and their relationship is on a downward spiral toward abuse. As the stories unfold, it’s clear both Tessa and Ona are looking to escape. I very much enjoyed the switch-off between the two women’s distinct voices. Harrison captures both periods beautifully. Her modern characters’ outrage as they learn about Ona Judge’s life, and the lives of their forefathers, is honest and compelling. As one character exclaims, “I don’t care if they were the noble Washingtons!… They owned people.” Ona’s story is heart-wrenching but also inspiring. This is a great example of historical fiction revealing important truths while still being engaging to read.

Based on a true story, My Name is Ona Judge is an extraordinary tale of courage, hope and love that will linger in your mind long after you turn the last page.

New Hampshire, 1796, and Ona Judge is the favoured maid of the President of the United States and his wife. However, Ona was not an employee, but a slave her employers regarded as their property. Ona was determined to make her bid for freedom and she escaped from the President’s household. With the authorities looking for her and a ten-dollar reward for whoever captures her, Ona knows that she’s living on borrowed time and before she is found begins to write down her story to share her truth with the world.

In the present day, Tessa is doing a favour for her childhood sweetheart’s grandmother and is surveying a vine-covered property. Another job is the very last thing Tessa needs right now, but hopefully losing herself in her work will help her to make an important decision about her future with her controlling boyfriend. When she finds Ona Judge’s journal hidden inside the house’s fireplace, Tessa is transfixed by the story buried between the covers of the tattered diary. As she immerses herself in Ona’s story, Tessa is blown away by her courage, bravery and tenacity. As shadows from centuries ago force Tessa to confront her own future, will Ona help Tessa become the strong, independent woman she was always meant to be? Can Tessa become the one in charge of her own fate? Or will Tessa allow her own demons to hold her hostage and imprisoned in gilded cage from which there is no escape?

Suzette D. Harrison’s My Name is Ona Judge is a powerful, heart-breaking and emotional tale that gets under your skin and holds you in thrall from start to finish. Suzette D. Harrison brings to such vivid life the determination, bravery and tenacity of her characters that you will feel every single emotion her protagonists go through and it will be a wrench to say goodbye to them when you reach the last page.

Suzette D. Harrison’s My Name is Ona Judge is an unforgettable novel I highly recommend.

Well researched, well written. The feelings of Ona Judge have been well expressed. The environment, the lifestyle, etc. has been well captured. Especially for geographically diverse readers like us, the story gives life to history and thus we are able to relate with history more.

My Name is Ona Judge is a beautiful tribute to a historical figure who's just now starting to have her voice heard. Split between present day and the past, this novel explores abuse, bondage, and healing, showing that they can take numerous different forms than what we think of when we first hear those words. In modern times, Tessa embarks on a journey to reclaim her freedom from an abusive boyfriend, and she finds inspiration and comfort in Ona's story. Tessa is an easy character to root for, and she's funny and loveable. Ona's bravery and complexity shine on the pages through Suzette D. Harrison's interpretation of her voice, and I'm excited to know that more people will become interested in Ona's story after reading this novel. Highly recommend, especially for lovers of historical fiction that doesn't whitewash the brutal realities of the past!

Tessa has an up-and-coming interior design business, but she’s beyond busy with the few clients she currently has. When her grandma asks her to take on redesigning a family cabin on Chincoteague Island, Virginia, she can’t say no. She stumbles across a hidden diary in the cabin and discovers the story of her ancestor, Ona Judge – one of heartbreak, betrayal, and danger. As Tessa delves into Ona’s story, she begins to find the courage to deal with the betrayals and heartbreak in her own life.

This work consisted of a dual timeline following Tessa’s present-day story and Ona Judge’s life in the 18th century. The author did this well, finding an excellent balance between the two stories and releasing information at a steady pace. Ona’s story was powerful and was written in a way that the tragedy, heartbreak, and strength were all quite evident. Tessa’s story complimented Ona’s perfectly, as did the common themes between the two.

I quite enjoyed the historical details incorporated into Ona’s story, especially relating to the treatment of slaves by the Washingtons. The personalization of the Washingtons was quite different than anything ever discussed in school. Learning about the way they moved their household to avoid emancipation laws was fascinating and paints the first president in a whole new light. The discussion on other historical aspects, such as dower slaves, was also enlightening and added to this story in a meaningful way.

I highly recommend this read to fans of historical fiction, family dramas, and those interested in a less white-washed depiction of George Washington and his household. Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for allowing me to read and review this work, which was beautifully written.

I’ve had a couple other books by the author and sang their praises. Unfortunately, this one didn’t give me the same feeling. I had never heard of the historical portion of the book and that’s what made me want to read it. I understand that there isn’t a lot of information out there about enslaved people, but this one just had me wanting more! The writing is as great as always

⭐⭐⭐ -- Beautiful cover on this one!

This was a middle of the road type of read for me. I didn't love it nor did I hate it. The dual timeline worked well. However, I found myself more interested in Ona than I did Tessa. I also felt it was slow at times. Like i said, not a bad read by any means. I just wasn't blown away. 🤷🏻‍♀️

**ARC Via NetGalley**

I grabbed the audiobook version of this title because I thought I wanted to hear it, but I feel like I would have enjoyed page reading instead. I didn’t mind the voices chosen, but they didn’t elevate the experience either. I also find that I want to read more about Ona Judge after reading this novel. I feel her story, particularly post escaping enslavement was glossed over (maybe we don’t have enough detail about her life?) in deference to a deep dive into the present day narrator’s life. Suffice it to say I felt this was two different books held together by one sliver thin connection point.
I enjoy Suzette’s work so this review has no bearing on my opinion of her as an author or storyteller and will as always be at the front of the line for the next book!

This is fantastic historical fiction that brings Ona's story to life in a beautiful and harrowing way. I appreciated the dual timelines, as I think it added a lot to the story by shifting the focus from Ona's difficult circumstances and emotionally deep experiences. This is one of those books that I am so glad to have read because it sticks with my soul and reminds me not to take simple things like my family and freedom for granted.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Net Galley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the dual timeline of My Name is Ona Judge. I didn't know Ona's story and after reading this book it made me research and learn more about her and her life. I love books that make me so invested that I want to learn more about the characters, time in history, or place and this book does that. If you love historical fiction, give this book a chance.

Captivating, beautifully written and a story worth reading. If I could give this 6 stars I would. I delved down a rabbit hole on the internet while ready this and have come away so informed and aware! Brilliant.