by J. D. Dickey
First published 2022
The 1830s transform America into a battlefield where abolitionists face daily threats of murder and arson. William Lloyd Garrison and James Forten lead a small band of Black and white activists who dare to challenge slavery, the foundation of the national economy. Mobs armed with bricks, torches, and knives hunt them through city streets. Even in Northern states, newspaper publishers, businessmen, and politicians demand their execution. President Andrew Jackson, himself a duelist carrying lead bullets in his body, presides over this chaos. Young Abraham Lincoln observes that mob outrages fill the daily news. The abolitionists confront impossible choices. Can they maintain nonviolence while facing attempted murder? Will their leaders unite or fragment under pressure? The movement's survival depends on answering these questions as enemies multiply by the thousands while followers grow only by the hundreds. Their strategies and sacrifices will determine whether the cause lives to inspire future generations and push the nation toward war and emancipation.
Genres: historical-fiction, 19th-century, activism, american-history
Vibes: dark, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: America, Northern States
Period: 1830s
408 pages · Hardcover · Pegasus Books
Content warnings: violence