Daniel Alexander Payne Murray was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1852. He was born free in the era of slavery in the United States. His father was a Methodist preacher, and his mother was reported to be of Native heritage. He was educated in Maryland by prominent Black teachers, in both public and private schools. He received a really exceptional education, especially compared to his peers that were born and raised in slavery. He began working at the restaurant that served the Library of Congress, before joining the Library's staff in 1871. He eventually became the Assistant Librarian. He also had many other business dealings, increasing his wealth and societal rank exponentially. He became a leading authority on issues pertaining to Black people and slavery, was asked to speak on these issues many times in the post-Civil War era. This book goes into exceptional detail about his life and contributions to history. Also mentioned was the concept that Black people could not become wealthy or fit into elite society, often spouted by White Supremacists. This look into the lives of free Black people not only challenge, but disprove, those ignorant claims made by some people.

I have to be honest and say that I was absolutely unaware of a society of Black elite in the United States. I will admit that I am severely undereducated on United States history, because I found it boring, and especially on minority issues. I will also blame part of that on the lack of education I received on topics such as this from my Southern school system. I thought this was a wonderfully educational book, and I am very excited to explore this topic more. If you have other books on this topic to suggest to me, send me a message! The only real issue that I had with this book was that it seemed to meander off the main point at times. I have it on Audible, which could have been an issue strictly with that format. It has a lot of pages, and it is not a short listen by any means. When I read or listen to hefty books, I would really like it to not meander. Overall, it was a very good book, and I am pleased with it.