Based on an extraordinary true story, this young adult novel follows
of one young enslaved woman's struggle to take what is rightfully
hers.
When I was four and my daddy left, I cried, but I understood. He had
become part of the Gone.
Oney Judge is a slave. But on the plantation of Mount Vernon, the
beautiful home of George and Martha Washington, she is not called a
slave. She is referred to as a servant, and a house servant at that--a
position of influence and respect. When she rises to the position of
personal servant to Martha Washington, her status among the household
staff--black or white--is second to none. She is Lady Washington's
closest confidante and for all intents and purposes, a member of the
family...or so she thinks.
Slowly, Oney's perception of her life with the Washingtons begins to
crack as she realizes the truth: No matter what it's called, it's still
slavery and she's still enslaved.
Oney must make a choice. Does she stay where she is, comfortable, with
this family that has loved her and nourished her and owned her since
the day she was born? Or does she take her liberty--her life--into her
own hands, and like her father, become one of the Gone?