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Winner, New England Historical Association,
James P. Hanlan Prize, 2026
Finalist, New England Society Book Award, 2026
The Divided North traces two Maine families, one Black and one White, as they navigate the turbulent nineteenth century. The Rubys were antislavery activists; the Gordons, prominent ship masters—among them, the only American executed for participating in the transatlantic slave trade. Their experiences reveal what it meant to live in a free state during the age of slavery.
"In this beautifully written book, Gardner is able to bring nineteenth-
century American history alive while placing the history of Maine, and
especially Portland, in the foreground."—Joanne Pope Melish, author of Disowning Slavery: Gradual Emancipation and “Race” in New England, 1780–1860
for an interview broadcast on Maine Public Radio
to hear me discuss the book on Maine Calling
Also in bookstores now
Tens of thousands of immigrants came to New England during the 1600s. But few histories have detailed the lives of those who came by force. The Involuntary American chronicles the life and times of Thomas Doughty, an illiterate Scottish foot soldier who was captured and shipped to the New World against his will.