70 pages • 2 hours read
The Thread Collectors
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Summary and Study Guide
Overview
The Thread Collectors is a 2022 historical fiction novel by Shaunna J. Edwards and Alyson Richman. Edwards and Richman, lifelong friends, came together to write a novel about the Civil War, drawing on their backgrounds as Black and Jewish women. The novel adds to the historical fiction genre by exploring the war through historically underrepresented perspectives. Through the stories of Stella, William, Jacob, and Lily, Edwards and Richman highlight themes of Resilience and Community Care, Reclaiming Agency Through Resistance, and Racist Oppression and the Pursuit of Intersectional Activism.
This guide refers to the 2022 Graydon House e-book edition.
Content Warning: The source text and this guide contain descriptions of racism, racial violence, enslavement, lynching, sexual assault, graphic wartime violence, antisemitism, and the death of a child. This guide quotes and obscures the author’s use of the n-word.
Plot Summary
The novel begins in March 1863. In Union-controlled New Orleans, Stella answers the door to her lover, William. A man named Mason Frye enslaved both Stella and William; Frye, a staunch Confederate supporter, keeps Stella as a lover, allowing her to live in a “Creole cottage” with her older sister, Unlock all 70 pages of this Study Guide Plus, gain access to 8,900+ more expert-written Study Guides. Including features:
