---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Advance Praise for THE GREAT NEW ORLEANS…"
description: "\"“Advance Praise for THE GREAT NEW ORLEANS KIDNAPPING CASE: RACE, LAW, AND JUSTICE IN THE RECONSTRUCTION ERA \"Michael Ross' The Great New Orleans Kidnap..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58c/michael-a-ross-112377_american-women_advance-praise-for-the-great-new-orleans_764383.jpg"
---

#  Advance Praise for THE GREAT NEW ORLEANS KIDNAPPING CASE…

![“Advance Praise for THE GREAT NEW ORLEANS KIDNAPPING CASE: RACE, LAW, AND JUSTICE IN THE RECONSTRUCTION ERA &quot;Michael Ross' The Great New Orleans Kidnapping Case has all the elements one might expect from a legal thriller set in nineteenth-century New Orleans. Child abduction and voodoo…” quote by Michael A. Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58c/michael-a-ross-112377_american-women_advance-praise-for-the-great-new-orleans_764383.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58c/michael-a-ross-112377_american-women_advance-praise-for-the-great-new-orleans_764383.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58c/michael-a-ross-112377_american-women_advance-praise-for-the-great-new-orleans_764383.jpg)

> ““Advance Praise for THE GREAT NEW ORLEANS KIDNAPPING CASE: RACE, LAW, AND JUSTICE IN THE RECONSTRUCTION ERA "Michael Ross' The Great New Orleans Kidnapping Case has all the elements one might expect from a legal thriller set in nineteenth-century New Orleans. Child abduction and voodoo. 'Quadroons.' A national headline-grabbing trial. Plus an intrepid creole detective… A terrific job of sleuthing and storytelling, right through to the stunning epilogue." --Lawrence N. Powell, author of The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans "When little Mollie Digby went missing from her New Orleans home in the summer of 1870, her disappearance became a national sensation. In his compelling new book Michael Ross brings Mollie back. Read The Great New Orleans Kidnapping Case for the extraordinary story it tells--and the complex world it reveals." --Kevin Boyle, author of Arc of Justice: A Saga of Race, Civil Rights, and Murder in the Jazz Age "Michael Ross's account of the 1870 New Orleans kidnapping of a white baby by two African-American women is a gripping narrative of one of the most sensational trials of the post-Civil War South. Even as he draws his readers into an engrossing mystery and detective story, Ross skillfully illuminates some of the most fundamental conflicts of race and class in New Orleans and the region." --Dan T. Carter, University of South Carolina "The Great New Orleans Kidnapping Case is a masterwork of narration, with twists, turns, cliff-hangers, and an impeccable level of telling detail about a fascinating cast of characters. The reader comes away from this immersive experience with a deeper and sadder understanding of the possibilities and limits of Reconstruction." --Stephen Berry, author of House of Abraham: Lincoln and The Todds, a Family Divided by War "The Great New Orleans Kidnapping Case is such a great read that it is easy to forget that the book is a work of history, not fiction. Who kidnapped Mollie Digby? The book, however, is compelling because it is great history. As Ross explores the mystery of Digby's disappearance, he reconstructs the lives not just of the Irish immigrant parents of Mollie Digby and the women of color accused of her kidnapping, but also the broad range of New Orleanians who became involved in the case. The kidnapping thus serves as a lens on the possibilities and uncertainties of Reconstruction, which take on new meanings because of Ross's skillful research and masterful storytelling." --Laura F. Edwards, Duke University””

Michael A. Ross

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The book recounts a sensational 1870 kidnapping case, exploring race, class, and justice during Reconstruction.

**In simple terms:** A historic kidnapping reveals deep social conflicts.

Key Takeaway

Study past injustices to inform present equity.

Themes

history race justice class Reconstruction crime

Mood

historical critical engaging

Type

American women:0 Civil rights:1 Civil war:0 Duke university:0 Immigrant parents:0 Jazz age:0 Law and justice:1 New orleans:1 South carolina:0 Reconstruction Era:1 Civil Right:0 Arc Of Justice:0 Kidnapping Case:1 Case Kidnapping:0 Orleans Kidnapping:0 Fiction Kidnapped:0 Narrative Sensational:1

When to use this quote

- education
- legal reform
- public policy
- media analysis

Key Concepts

social inequality legal history cultural narrative

Questions to Reflect On

- How does this case reflect modern racial tensions?
- What lessons can be drawn for today’s justice system?

A Different Perspective

Historical narratives can oversimplify complex realities.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[American women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-women/) [Civil Right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-right/) [Civil rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-rights/) [Civil war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-war/) [Duke university](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/duke-university/) [Immigrant parents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immigrant-parents/) [Jazz age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jazz-age/) [Law and justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law-and-justice/) [New orleans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-orleans/)

## Related quotes

> [My daughters have grown up knowing all about my kidnapping and the case and what happened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patty-hearst/my-daughters-have-grown-up-knowing-all-about-my-kidnapping-and-the/)

[Patty Hearst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patty-hearst/)

## More American women quotes

> [The work-family divide is the biggest issue for American women. But in some ways it's amazing how adjusted society has become to it. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-collins/the-work-family-divide-is-the-biggest-issue-for-american-women-but-in/)

[Gail Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-collins/)

> [The great thing about American women is their energy and the way they love to dress. French women don't really dress; they are too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-gaultier/the-great-thing-about-american-women-is-their-energy-and-the-way-they/)

[Jean Paul Gaultier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-gaultier/)

> [Since Bush has been in office, African-American women have fallen behind in terms of income and wages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-brazile/since-bush-has-been-in-office-african-american-women-have-fallen/)

[Donna Brazile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-brazile/)

> [“She was bold, and yet she was reserved. She was sensual and girlish, but she was never coy. So I think that what she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-fees/she-was-bold-and-yet-she-was-reserved-she-was-sensual-and-girlish-but/)

Paul Fees

> [African American women in particular have incredible buying power. Statistically, we go to the movies more than anyone. We have made Tyler Perrys career.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-nottage/african-american-women-in-particular-have-incredible-buying-power/)

[Lynn Nottage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-nottage/)

> [Ben Marcus has created an innovative and unflinching portrait of the turmoil of the human condition, providing the reader a most rare gift: something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myla-goldberg/ben-marcus-has-created-an-innovative-and-unflinching-portrait-of-the/)

[Myla Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myla-goldberg/)

> [“Americans consume more cow’s milk and its products per person than most populations in the world. So Americans should have wonderfully strong bones, right?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-colin-campbell/americans-consume-more-cow-s-milk-and-its-products-per-person-than/)

[T. Colin Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-colin-campbell/)

> [It's important for women to understand that it's bad enough that we don't make dollar-for-dollar what men do, but when you distill that down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-turner/it-s-important-for-women-to-understand-that-it-s-bad-enough-that-we/)

[Nina Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-turner/)

> [I want you to say dreadfully mad, funny things and make up songs and be--' The Will I fell in love with, she almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/i-want-you-to-say-dreadfully-mad-funny-things-and-make-up-songs-and/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [The hearts of Afro-American women are too warm and too large for race hatred. Long suffering has so chastened them that they are developing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-barrier-williams/the-hearts-of-afro-american-women-are-too-warm-and-too-large-for-race/)

Fannie Barrier Williams

> [Newsweek recently asked American women which women they admire the most, and the answer varied, actually, depending on which political party you were from...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-martin/newsweek-recently-asked-american-women-which-women-they-admire-the/)

[Michel Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-martin/)

> [I am an African-American woman of dark skin tone, and there are very specific roles that are usually given to African-American women of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lachanze/i-am-an-african-american-woman-of-dark-skin-tone-and-there-are-very/)

[LaChanze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lachanze/)

> [If our American women are going to work to put food on the table and pay for the mortgage, then we better make sure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reshma-saujani/if-our-american-women-are-going-to-work-to-put-food-on-the-table-and/)

[Reshma Saujani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reshma-saujani/)

> [An estimated 2 million American women will be diagnosed with breast or cervical cancer this decade and screening could prevent up to 30% of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-lesko/an-estimated-2-million-american-women-will-be-diagnosed-with-breast/)

[Matthew Lesko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-lesko/)

> [I have never been more proud of the United States than I am this year. We have elected an African-American president. We have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-stockett/i-have-never-been-more-proud-of-the-united-states-than-i-am-this-year/)

[Kathryn Stockett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-stockett/)

[Browse all 221 American women quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-women/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Advance Praise for THE GREAT NEW ORLEANS KIDNAPPING CASE: RACE, LAW, AND JUSTICE IN THE RECONSTRUCTION ERA \"Michael Ross' The Great New Orleans Kidnapping Case has all the elements one might expect from a legal thriller set in nineteenth-century New Orleans. Child abduction and voodoo. 'Quadroons.' A national headline-grabbing trial. Plus an intrepid creole detective… A terrific job of sleuthing and storytelling, right through to the stunning epilogue.\" --Lawrence N. Powell, author of The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans \"When little Mollie Digby went missing from her New Orleans home in the summer of 1870, her disappearance became a national sensation. In his compelling new book Michael Ross brings Mollie back. Read The Great New Orleans Kidnapping Case for the extraordinary story it tells--and the complex world it reveals.\" --Kevin Boyle, author of Arc of Justice: A Saga of Race, Civil Rights, and Murder in the Jazz Age \"Michael Ross's account of the 1870 New Orleans kidnapping of a white baby by two African-American women is a gripping narrative of one of the most sensational trials of the post-Civil War South. Even as he draws his readers into an engrossing mystery and detective story, Ross skillfully illuminates some of the most fundamental conflicts of race and class in New Orleans and the region.\" --Dan T. Carter, University of South Carolina \"The Great New Orleans Kidnapping Case is a masterwork of narration, with twists, turns, cliff-hangers, and an impeccable level of telling detail about a fascinating cast of characters. The reader comes away from this immersive experience with a deeper and sadder understanding of the possibilities and limits of Reconstruction.\" --Stephen Berry, author of House of Abraham: Lincoln and The Todds, a Family Divided by War \"The Great New Orleans Kidnapping Case is such a great read that it is easy to forget that the book is a work of history, not fiction. Who kidnapped Mollie Digby? The book, however, is compelling because it is great history. As Ross explores the mystery of Digby's disappearance, he reconstructs the lives not just of the Irish immigrant parents of Mollie Digby and the women of color accused of her kidnapping, but also the broad range of New Orleanians who became involved in the case. The kidnapping thus serves as a lens on the possibilities and uncertainties of Reconstruction, which take on new meanings because of Ross's skillful research and masterful storytelling.\" --Laura F. Edwards, Duke University”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Michael A. Ross"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-a-ross/advance-praise-for-the-great-new-orleans-kidnapping-case-race-law-and/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "American women"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-a-ross/advance-praise-for-the-great-new-orleans-kidnapping-case-race-law-and/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58c/michael-a-ross-112377_american-women_advance-praise-for-the-great-new-orleans_764383.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58c/michael-a-ross-112377_american-women_advance-praise-for-the-great-new-orleans_764383.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58c/michael-a-ross-112377_american-women_advance-praise-for-the-great-new-orleans_764383.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Advance Praise for THE GREAT NEW ORLEANS KIDNAPPING CASE: RACE, LAW, AND JUSTICE IN THE RECONSTRUCTION ERA…” — Michael A. Ross",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Michael A. Ross",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-a-ross/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Advance Praise for THE GREAT NEW...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-a-ross/advance-praise-for-the-great-new-orleans-kidnapping-case-race-law-and/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-a-ross/advance-praise-for-the-great-new-orleans-kidnapping-case-race-law-and/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
