The Gift of Freedom: Glennette Tilley Turner Discusses Her New Book

A robust audience of more than 70 people showed up to our Zoom conversation with Glennette Tilley Turner on Saturday, February 22. Glennette discussed her new book, as well as her other work as an author, historian, and educator. The prolific and distinguished author is our foremost authority on the Illinois Underground Railroad. During this one-hour discussion, Turner provided insight into our region’s connections to Black history, and her research and writing on the subject. 

For more than six decades, Turner taught and supervised teachers. Her children’s books include Surprise for Mrs. Burns (1971),Take a Walk in Their Shoes (1989), and An Apple for Harriet Tubman (2006). Many of her adult historical books, including Running for Our Lives (1994), Follow in Their Footsteps (1997), Fort Mose: And the Story of the Man Who Built the First Free Black Settlement in Colonial America (2010), and A Man Called Horse: John Horse and the Black Seminole Underground Railroad (2021), explore Black history. The Underground Railroad in DuPage County, Illinois (1978) and The Underground Railroad in Illinois (2001) serve as definite reference material; Turner has lectured widely on the topic. She has also written collections of biographies of notable African Americans, such as Lewis Howard Latimer. Turner’s latest book, The Gift of Freedom: How Harriet Tubman Rescued Her Brothers, due out in January of 2026, was a topic of particular discussion. The audience, which included many of Glennette's friends and admirers, including students she taught as far back as first grade, engaged the author in lively conversation during the lengthy question and answer period. 

Don Evans leads a conversation with author Glennette Tilley Turner.