New York Times Review, by Ellen Tanner Marsh: 'A runaway slave masquerading as an Indian. The vast panarama of America in its infancy. The terrible tragedy of slavery and a young heart aching for freedom and an education. That is just a few of the themes resonation through the first book of Leonard Hogue's brilliant historical trilogy, The Ecstasy of Freedom, Book 1. Jasper is a young slave on the largest plantation on the Mississippi. He struggles to read and write, but when his kindly owner's son George, takes over the plantation, things begin to look dark. Whipped and humiliated, Jasper escapes, and so begins the adventure of his life. Not talking or looking like a slave, Jasper blends into society as best he can. When he rescues Running Deer, an Indian, he goes to live with the tribe for a time, and becomes Running Deer's blood brother. Settling into tribal life, he begins too, to have feelings for Early Flower, the Chief's lovely daughter. But he can't forget the pull of his family who is still on the plantation, nor the fact that he's still a runaway. And he yearns for more education. Hogue pulls us deep into the belly of Amereican culture. In shimmering, you-are-there prose, we learn what life is like on both the cruel plantation and the vast Indian plains. We see how two different cultures-Indian and slave-both endure cruelties, and how the spirit of one brave boy, Jasper, could just possibly succeed. Heartfelt and teemng with life, Hogue's historical drama could just make some literary history of its own.' This is book 1 of a continuing series of 3 books; The Ecstasy of Freedom books 1, 2 and 3. After Jasper, a young slave escaped a plantation and crossed the river on a raft, he rescued a drowning Indian brave; joined the tribe and became a blood brother to Running Deer. All he talks about is getting an education. He falls in love with the chief's daughter. He is kidnapped by three crooks. One crook is shot, one runs away, the other shoots Jasper and is killed by Running Deer. From the dead crook he gets a lot of gold, 2 pistols, rifle, bedroll and a horse and saddle. His last minute plans are to stay there with the tribe and Early Flower. |
