Helga without the H

Five star review, originally posted here on November 23rd, 2024.

I decided to read this book after visiting the Josiah Henson museum in Maryland (museum review coming soon at helgawithouttheh.com.) I had never heard of this guy before, but a friend recommended the museum and I had some time to kill, so I popped in. At one point I was speaking to a museum employee about an element of Henson’s life that was pretty astounding, and said, “Man, I really have to read this guy’s book!” Which prompted her to point out that they sell it in their gift shop. And so off to the gift shop I trotted!

This is a short and sweet memoir. It’s only 90 large-fonted pages long. So we’re not going too deep into the weeds here, and honestly I was left dying to know more about the details of this man’s life. But, still, it got the job done. Virtually everything from the book was mentioned in the museum, and so I did not learn anything new exactly. But there was a lot of value in hearing his stories in his own words. My understanding is that Henson narrated the tale to someone else, but that supposedly the words are his own. If that is true, then I was struck by Henson’s eloquence. Here is a favorite passage, where he described the turmoil he felt at a crucial turning point in his life where he considered murdering his enslavers:

“These were not thoughts which just flitted across my mind’s eye, and then disappeared. They fashioned themselves into shapes which grew larger, and seemed firmer, every time they presented themselves; and at length my mind was made up to convert the phantom shadow into a positive reality.”

Despite its brevity, Henson’s book was crucial in (eventually) ending slavery in the United States. As seen in the modern title (the title has changed repeatedly with different publications), Henson’s life story was a leading inspiration for Harriet Beecher Stowe’s abolitionist novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin, which in turn majorly influenced public opinion against slavery. That’s the very short, simplified explanation of why this book is important, but you can’t just stop there. Definitely read the book to get the first-hand account, but then keep going and read up on the man and his legacy. This autobiography was published in 1848, but Henson lived on for a few more decades, and he went on to do so much more. And if you’re ever in Montgomery County, Maryland and have an hour or two to kill, definitely check out his museum (it is small but mighty!)