This groundbreaking historical expose unearths the lost stories of enslaved persons and their descendants who journeyed into freedom after the Emancipation Proclamation and then back into the shadow of involuntary servitude shortly thereafter in The Age of Neoslavery. By turns moving sobering and shocking this unprecedented Pulitzer Prizewinning account reveals the stories of those who fought unsuccessfully against the reemergence of human labor trafficking the companies that profited most from neoslavery and the insidious legacy of racism that reverberates today. Following the Emancipation Proclamation convictsmostly black menwere leased through forced labor camps operated by state and federal governments. Using a vast record of original documents and personal narratives Douglas A. Blackmon brings to light one of the most shameful chapters in American history. An astonishing book. . . . It will challenge and change your understanding of what we were as Americansand of what we are. Chicago Tribune show more