Elizabeth Keckley's 'Behind the Scenes: Thirty Years a Slave and Four Years in the White House' is a poignant memoir that offers a firsthand account of slavery and the inner workings of the White House during the Civil War era. Keckley's literary style is both intimate and informative, providing readers with a detailed look into the personal lives of both her fellow slaves and the prominent figures she encountered in the White House. Through her narrative, Keckley sheds light on the hardships faced by African Americans during this tumultuous period in American history. Her work is a valuable...

Behind the Scenes (1868) is both a slave narrative and a portrait of the First Family of America, especially of Mary Todd Lincoln, wife of Abraham Lincoln. After the assassination of President Lincoln, Elizabeth Keckley the former slave turned confidant and dress maker of Mrs. Lincoln took it upon herself to provide financial support to her by writing this slave narrative. But in spite of Keckley's good intentions the publication of her life story spelled doom for her own career and her friendship with the Lincolns to an extent that all efforts were made to suppress and falsify it. Yet this...