Theinspiringtrue story ofanenslaved woman who liberated an infamousslavejailandtransformeditintoone of the nations firstHBCUs

InThe Devils Half Acre,NewYorkTimesbestselling author Kristen Greendrawson years ofresearchto tell the extraordinaryandlittle-knownstoryof youngMary Lumpkin, anenslaved woman whoblazeda pathofliberationfor thousands.Shewasforced tohave the children ofabrutalslavetraderand liveon the premises ofhisslave jail,known as the Devils Half Acre.Whensheinheritedthejailafter the death of her slaveholder, shetransformedit into Gods Half Acre, aschoolwhereBlack men couldfulfill theirdreams.Itstill exists today as Virginia Union University, one of Americas firstHistorically BlackColleges and Universities.

A sweeping narrative of a life in the margins of the American slave trade,The Devils Half Acrebrings Mary Lumpkininto the light. This is the story of the resilience of a woman on the path to freedom, her historic contributions, and her enduring legacy.