Iola Leroy or Shadows Uplifted is a work by Frances E. W. Harper. This is one of the first
novels published by an African-American woman. The story is set iIn a North Carolina town which
is only identified as C-. A group of slaves led by Robert Johnson seek refuge with the Union
army that is approaching in the course of the Civil War. Robert's friend Tom Anderson then
informs the Union commander of a beautiful young woman held as slave in the neighborhood who is
subsequently set free by the commander. In a retrospective the narrative turns to the story of
that woman Iola Leroy. The novel deals with the social topics of education for women passing
miscegenation abolition reconstruction temperance and social responsibility.
