A stunning novel about the perseverance and courage of one African-American family from the author of the award-winning Somewhere in the Darkness (1992). Myers begins the story of the Lewis family in Africa in 1753 with the capture of 11-year-old Muhammad Bilal, who is shackled and put on a ship bound for America. The story then skips to 1864 on Curry Island, S.C., where the descendants of Muhammad now live on the Lewis plantation. Two of them, Joshua and Lem, have run away, but Lem is caught tied to a tree as bait for Joshua. Lizzy, Lem's 13-year-old cousin, is seen giving Lem a drink and must flee as well. All three escape and the men join the Union army to fight for their freedom. In 1900, Lizzy's son Elijah stands up to the white men of Curry Island and is forced to leave for Chicago. His daughter, Luvenia, is thwarted in her dream to go to the University of Chicago in 1930, but she defies expectations and succeeds in business. Tommy Lewis, back in South Carolina in 1964, must choose between appeasing the establishment -- and receiving a scholarship to attend college -- or fighting for his ideals. And now in Harlem, talented young musician Malcolm Lewis is responsible for bringing his crack-addicted cousin, Shep, to the Lewis family reunion on Curry Island. In this fluid, simple book, Myers brings to life an entire history of a people, highlighting the Lewis family's commitment and strength. A must read for absolutely everyone. (Fiction. 10+)
