Disappearing Man: Based on a True Story

Henry Brown heard these words, but he didn’t know if he could believe them. A voice was telling Henry, a slave from Virginia, to climb into a wooden box and mail himself to freedom. Henry “Box” Brown’s story is one of the most incredible tales of escape in the history of the Underground Railroad—the secret network that helped slaves flee to the North. With the assistance of two other men, Henry Brown was sealed in a wooden box, 3 feet long, 2 feet, 8 inches high, and 23½ inches wide. Then he was mailed from Richmond, Virginia, to Philadelphia, a 26-hour adventure in which he was stuck upside down for long, painful stretches, and at other times was dropped on the ground, nearly breaking his neck. Henry decided to escape after two pivotal events in his life. The first was the splitting up of his family when he was about fifteen years old. When his master, John Barret, died in 1830, Henry’s family was divided among five sons. Henry wound up working in a Richmond tobacco factory under the eye of William Barret. The second watershed event was the sale of his wife and children, who had a different master than Henry. They were sold in August of 1848; and on Christmas of that same year, Henry began plotting his escape. The Disappearing Man takes readers and viewers into a world they have never seen before—the urban slavery system, which was worlds apart from the plantation system that most people are familiar with from books and film. But most important, it is a gripping tale about the lengths people will go to in seeking freedom. Henry Box Brown was a sensation in his day, but he has become largely forgotten in history. The Disappearing Man brings to light one of the lost heroes of the Underground Railroad.

Doug Peterson is a Gold-Medallion-winning author with a storied writing career. He is a versatile writer and the author of 60 books, including three historical novels with Bay Forest—The Disappearing Man, The Puzzle People, and The Vanishing Woman.

After writing for the VeggieTales series, Doug made a successful transition to historical novelist. He has emerged as a popular author and speaker on history, doing events at the Museum of Man in San Diego, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Malone University in Canton, and numerous schools in Illinois, Ohio, and Tennessee.

In addition, The Disappearing Man was selected by Canton, Ohio, for its 2011 One Book, One Community program. Doug is currently working with an actress/director on her first-person portrayal of Ellen Craft, heroine of his latest novel, The Vanishing Woman. Ellen Craft, a light-skinned slave, escaped in 1848 by posing as a white man, while her husband pretended to be her slave.

Other highlights of Doug’s writing career include: 

• Author of 42 books for the popular VeggieTales series

• Co-storywriter for the best-selling VeggieTales video, Larry-Boy and the Rumor Weed

• Science writer for the University of Illinois for over 30 years

• Author of over 500 stories and articles published in more than 20 magazines

• Author of “The Career of Horville Sash,” a popular short story made into a music video featuring Grammy-winner Jennifer Warnes

• Co-writer of “Roman Ruins,” an episode in the bestselling line of How to Host a Murder party games

Doug lives in Champaign, Illinois, with his wife Nancy (a therapist for over 30 years), and they have two grown sons. His next novel, due out in 2013, will deal with Civil War spies and submarines.

You can find him on Facebook under “Doug Peterson Author.” Also, check out his website and “History By The Slice” blog at: www.bydougpeterson.com.