Due Unto: Denmark Vesey's Story

by K. F. Jones

Overview

"Due Unto" by K. F. Jones, Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award semifinalist.

In 1799, Denmark wins the East Bay Lottery. With the money he buys his freedom and more. When everything he holds dear is threatened Denmark must ultimately answer the question, to what extremes will he go to protect his family, his life? --- What would you do? --- Different from the biographies, the plays, the films, the articles, but like Denmark (the character) in Sue Monk Kidd's novel, "The Invention of Wings," the characters of the novel "Due Unto" are woven from threads of history.

In 1775, the haunting beauty of the ancient African jungle is invaded by 18th century reality when a king's warriors attack a village like a violent monsoon in pursuit of their goal. Separated in the Caribbean, Telemaque, soon renamed Denmark, is bound for Madame Chevalier's unchartered atoll where he learns what he needs to survive a modern jungle. Koi, as practical as beautiful, is sold to a Jewish businessman, Adam Wolff, a smuggler with West Indies roots but an international reach, and brought to Charleston. Their lives follow the fortunes of revolutionaries struggling for and with independence and the dichotomy of liberty amid the bonds of slavery.

Inspired by real people and actual events, strong female characters--though living in a man's world--exert their influence in this adventurous coming of age love story that takes place during and after the American Revolution.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940046169218
Publisher:	K. F. Jones
Publication date:	07/05/2014
Sold by:	Smashwords
Format:	eBook
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award (sponsored by Publishers Weekly and Penguin) semifinalist K. F. Jones is a former teacher. He taught students with learning disabilities the thrill of discovery through history and literature. Born in Louisiana, the author now lives in North Carolina.

In researching the life and times of Denmark Vesey, many sources brought the work to fruition. A partial list of historical novels that entertained and enlightened me includes "The Known World" by Edward P. Jones, "The Confessions of Nat Turner" by William Styron, "Island Beneath the Sea" by Isabel Allende, "The Whiskey Rebels" by David Liss, "Sacred Hunger" by Barry Unsworth, "Pirate Latitudes" by Michael Crichton, "Someone Knows My Name" by Lawrence Hill, "Master and Commander" by Patrick O'Brian, "The Fort" by Bernard Cornwell and "The Eden Hunter" by Skip Horack.

A partial list of non-fiction that intrigued and informed me includes "The First Salute" by Barbara W. Tuchman, "Empire of Liberty" by Gordon S. Wood, "Washington" by Ron Chernow, "Benjamin Franklin: An American Life" by Walter Isaacson, "American Creation: The Triumphs and Tragedies at the Founding of the Republic" by Joseph J. Ellis, "The Classic Slave Narratives" by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., "Saltwater Slavery" by Stephanie E. Smallwood, "The Slave Ship: A Human History" by Marcus Rediker, "Denmark Vesey: The Buried Story of America's Largest Slave Rebellion and the Man Who Led It" by David Robertson, "He Shall Go Out Free: The Lives of Denmark Vesey" by Douglas R. Egerton, "Slaves in the Family" by Edward Ball, "Southern Campaigns of the American Revolution" by Dan L. Morrill, "1776" by David McCullough, "The Emergence of a National Economy 1775-1815" by Curtis P. Nettels, "Sons of Providence: The Brown Brothers, The Slave Trade, and The American Revolution" by Charles Rappleye and "The Exchange Artist" by Jane Kamensky.

Editorial Reviews

07/28/2014
Denmark Vesey is known to history as the leader of an attempted slave revolt in Charleston, S.C., in 1822. This novel from Jones depicts Vesey's life: his youth, his enslavement, his emancipation, and his re-enslavement. Later, while in Charleston, in 1799, Vesey won a lottery prize that allowed him to buy his freedom, though he was later arrested and executed for planning the slave revolt. Jones creates a plausible depiction of Vesey's life and struggle, as well as ably rendering the tragedy and indignation of slave life. While the addition of a love story slows the novel's pace and is somewhat distracting from the central narrative, fans of historical fiction will find Vesey's story fascinating and well told.

Publishers Weekly