‘Never Caught’ Selected as the 2026 Duke Common Experience

The selection is in concert with the university’s We the People initiative

Photo of author Erica Armstrong Dunbar, and the front cover of her book, "Never Caught" the 2026 common reading experience selection for Duke's first-year undergraduates.
The historical biography "Never Caught," by Erica Armstrong Dunbar, has been selected at the 2026 Duke common reading experience for first-year undergraduate students.

This is a summary of a story that originally appeared on Duke’s Office of Undergraduate Education.

Last year, committee members of the Duke Common Experience selected the Pulitzer Prize winning novel “James” by Percival Everett as the book to be read by the university’s incoming class.

This year, committee members selected another volume with the pursuit of freedom at its core: the award-winning “Never Caught,” by Erica Armstrong Dunbar.

The selection of “Never Caught” as the university’s common reading experience is in concert with the university’s We the People initiative, marking the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Dunbar’s historical biography chronicles the compelling story of Ona Judge, an enslaved woman who escaped from the household of George and Martha Washington. The powerful volume was a finalist for the 2017 National Book Award for Non-Fiction and received the 2018 Frederick Douglass Book Award.

Dunbar, with rigorous research and fascinating storytelling, shines a light on an American infancy tainted by slavery, and human beings’ quest for freedom.

“The committee was drawn to Dunbar’s examination of the founding era. ‘Never Caught’ challenges us to move beyond simplified narratives of the Revolutionary era we think we know,” said Candis Watts Smith, professor of political science and chair of the Common Experience Committee.

For more than 20 years, Duke’s incoming classes have been welcomed and invited to share their thoughts and ideas about a literary volume during their first year on campus. The new first-year undergraduate students will receive “Never Caught” this summer.

Over the course of the academic year, the book will be the focus of panels, lectures, and discussions while bringing together faculty, staff, students, and community members to share their perspectives around a common text. 

To learn more about the Duke Common Experience visit the Office of Undergraduate Education.