Important and inspiring.
In a true coming of age story that spans a vast countryside, D’Andre Walker has penned a modern literary classic. Our young protagonist is 15 years old and feels ready to take on the world. Although his life is comfortable for the time period compared to other blacks who are subject to slavery and worse, the boy yearns for freedom. Simply having the status as a freeman is not enough. Rather than inherit the family business, the boy wants have an adventure. After a fight with his sensible father, the boy packs a bag and sneaks away in the night with only a hastily scribbled letter for a goodbye. Adventure ensues, although not how the boy imagined.
These are, after all, the 1820’s. Although the boy freely finds employment heading toward New Orleans, he can’t shake the prejudices that followed his family in Tennessee. As the boy travels, the unjust treatment of blacks shifts to injustice directed toward the country’s Natives. In almost constant peril, the boy learns hard lessons. A standout moment came as he found a beaver trap with only the furry animal’s leg left over. “He rationalized that leaving home was him chewing off his own leg in an attempt to achieve freedom.” This important and inspiring novel merits consideration and contemplation from young and old alike.
