In her introduction, Larson says "We all believe we know Harriet Tubman" yet this knowledge is limited to the heroic myth of children's books. She does not seem real flesh and blood to us. Larson sets out to rectify this, and does so admirably. She spent years combing through primary sources such as court records and private letters to recreate for us a Harriet Tubman who lives and breathes. There's even a family tree.
Along the way, some treasured myths are debunked. For example, there was never a $40,000 bounty on her head. Nor (as every school child can quote) did she make 19 trips and rescue 300 people; it's closer to 13 trips and 70 people, and she perhaps provided aid and instructions to another 50. None of which diminishes her heroism, of course. It simply makes her more accessible as a human being by setting the record straight. And what Larson adds to the record far outweighs what she takes away.
This book can be challenging to read at times, because rather than stating her own conclusions as fact (e.g.Tubman's birth date, which she places in February or March of 1822) Larson sometimes presents several possibilities and provides evidence to support each; we are left to draw our own conclusions. But this provides groundwork for future researchers and, I feel, is a more honest than presuming finality where none is present.
The Publisher's Weekly review above mentions competition from Catherine Clinton's Harriet Tubman: The Road to Freedom. While the narrative style of the Clinton book is probably more accessible to a casual reader, the book relies heavily on secondary sources, repeating some of the very myths debunked in Larson's book. But overall, it does take advantage of modern scholarship and is therefore an improvement upon previous adult biographies. If you want a quick and easy read, the Clinton book is a good choice.
If you want a book that is solidly and originally researched, then Larson is the only way to go.
Curator, AfroAmericanHeritage dot com