Coming November 10, 2026
All Different Kinds of Free
A free woman of color kidnapped and sold into slavery fights for her family and her freedom, sparking one of the most pivotal Supreme Court cases in American history.
By Jessica McCann
This fully revised15th Anniversary Edition of Jessica McCann’s award-winning debut novel brings new attention to the astonishing true story of Margaret Morgan—a free woman of color whose life changed forever on a frigid Pennsylvania night in 1837. When Maryland bounty hunters burst into her home, Margaret and her children are violently abducted, torn from everything they know, and sold into slavery. But even as her body and spirit are tested beyond imagining, Margaret refuses to stop fighting for her freedom and for the family ripped away from her.
Her ordeal sparks a firestorm that reaches the U.S. Supreme Court in Prigg v. Pennsylvania, a landmark decision that marked the first major pro-slavery ruling by the federal government and helped lay the groundwork for the states’ rights battles that would erupt into the Civil War. While history often records the case as a constitutional turning point, McCann’s engrossing novel shifts the focus to the woman at its center—restoring Margaret to her rightful place as a symbol of courage, resilience, and unyielding hope.
Richly researched and emotionally powerful, All Different Kinds of Free illuminates a critical but overlooked chapter of American history through the eyes of a woman who refused to be forgotten. This special anniversary edition celebrates both Margaret’s legacy and McCann’s enduring contribution to historical fiction.
Advance Praise
Coming Soon
Jessica McCann is an award-winning historical novelist and freelance writer. One of her earliest assignments was covering a breakthrough surgical radiation technique for destroying brain tumors, during which she was permitted to don scrubs and observe inside the operating room. Since then, her reporting and creative nonfiction has appeared in dozens of magazines, including Business Week, The Writer and Phoenix.
McCann’s novels have been called “gripping,” “atmospheric,” and “suspenseful” by Publisher’s Weekly, with “rich historical context” and “insightfully etched characters.” Her writing highlights ordinary people overcoming extraordinary adversity. Themes of nature, forgiveness, community, and perseverance are hallmarks of her work.
Phoenix is home and provides year-round opportunity to be outdoors. It’s where she grew up, fell in love, raised a family and chased her dreams.