Review Detail

Written about a slave in the 18th century and based off of actual documents tracking his plans for an uprising among his peers, with help from French and American 'abolitionists', this short book was unexpectedly a piece of literary genius.

The story begins quite beautifully, where we meet Gabriel as a nursing infant in quiet, intimate communion with his mother. The writing pulled me down into history, so that I was present at their tobacco plantation, in the heat, participating in their joyous few moments of 'freedom' and worship and dance, and involved in the various family dramas and power struggles displayed between the Master's family and different servants. I watched as Gabriel took after his freedom-fighting father and grew into a man who knew his worth and knew he, and all his friends and family, deserved to be free. I felt the deep longings and tinges of desire when he fell in love and his desperation for freedom began to take on an even deeper meaning and purpose. My heart fell as his dream fell apart before him, although I knew that the dream lived on not only in his wife and children, but in so many who came after him--though I knew the dream came to fruition almost a century later.

This story is not just a fantastic novel but an incredible historical work. It would do those studying this period of history in school just as much good as it did me, a college graduate. Because as you read it, it is as if you are reaching through time and space to grasp Gabriel's hand or look into his eyes and say, "I believe in you. I am with you." A must-read.