Come August, Come Freedom: The Bellows, The Gallows, and The Black General Gabriel
by:
Gigi Amateau (author)
An 1800 insurrection planned by a literate slave known as "Prosser’s Gabriel" inspires a historical novel following one extraordinary man’s life.In a time of post-Revolutionary fervor in Richmond, Virginia, an imposing twenty-four-year-old slave named Gabriel, known for his courage and intellect,...
show more
An 1800 insurrection planned by a literate slave known as "Prosser’s Gabriel" inspires a historical novel following one extraordinary man’s life.In a time of post-Revolutionary fervor in Richmond, Virginia, an imposing twenty-four-year-old slave named Gabriel, known for his courage and intellect, plotted a rebellion involving thousands of African- American freedom seekers armed with refashioned pitchforks and other implements of Gabriel’s blacksmith trade. The revolt would be thwarted by a confluence of fierce weather and human betrayal, but Gabriel retained his dignity to the end. History knows little of Gabriel’s early life. But here, author Gigi Amateau imagines a childhood shaped by a mother’s devotion, a father’s passion for liberation, and a friendship with a white master’s son who later proved cowardly and cruel. She gives vibrant life to Gabriel’s love for his wife-to-be, Nanny, a slave woman whose freedom he worked tirelessly, and futilely, to buy. Interwoven with original documents, this poignant, illuminating novel gives a personal face to a remarkable moment in history.
show less
Format: hardcover
ISBN:
9780763647926 (0763647926)
Publish date: September 11th 2012
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Pages no: 240
Edition language: English
Slavery is a horrible business. Could it have been even more cruel during the early years of our new country founded upon the principles of freedom and liberty? This is the story of the slave Gabriel Prosser of Virginia, who organized an unsuccessful slave revolt and was hanged for his crime.Ms. Ama...