Historian Susan Cooke Soderberg will discuss her latest book, My Name is Not Tom – The Life of Reverend Josiah Henson. The title of the book comes from a speech given by Reverend Henson toward the end of his life when he was trying to dispel the myth that he was “the real Uncle Tom” as his publishers had portrayed him in order to advertise his autobiographies – books which were also greatly embellished in order to increase sales.

Susan spent over 10 years researching the book. As well as tapping into archives online, she traveled to Kentucky, Ohio, New York, and Ontario, Canada tracing the footsteps of Reverend Henson, visiting libraries and museums along the way. The result is a book that contains copious new information about the man, his life, experiences, his values and his aspirations and reveals a far different person than that depicted in other biographies. She will have books available to sell ($30 cash, check or Venmo) and sign.

Presented in Collaboration with the Silver Spring Town Center