The novel
Unlikely Heroes
takes place during the tumultuous period of the mid-1880s, a time of slavery and the Civil War. This was a dark period in the history of America. The cruel system of slavery flourished. The bloody Civil War ended it. This novel does not shy away from the grim events of that era.
captures the heavy acts of the day as well as the hope and grace that so many men and women possessed. This is important today due to the efforts of some to downplay the inhuman treatment of the enslaved.
The story follows two threads: one of an enslaved man who challenges a decision his enslaver has made. This man is beaten and left behind, while the enslaver moves from South Carolina to Florida, taking the beaten man's family with him. The other thread follows the assembly going to Florida. This group includes the enslaver and his family and his slaves, including the family of the man left behind.
Some of the events in the ensuing chapters were inspired by stories told by the formerly enslaved
. These accounts were included in the book
Voices From Slavery: 100 Authentic Slave Narratives,
edited by Norman R. Yetman and published by Dover Publication, Inc. in Mineola, New York. Segments of the inspiring stories are quoted in the novel.
Throughout the novel, newspaper-like headlines are given to let the reader know what is happening in the larger world that is related to the story.
Also of interest, the enslaver is haunted by a nightmare in which he senses a familiarity with two people in the dream, but is unable to identify them. When he finally does realize who they are, he begins a transformation in his thinking towards slavery and the humanness of the enslaved.
The enslaved individual who was left behind becomes involved in the Underground Railroad and later joins the Union army as a member of the first black regiment in the Civil War. The expeditions and adventures of the black regiment are inspired from the book
Army Life in a Black Regiment
by Thomas Higginson, first published in 1869. Thomas Higginson was the commanding officer of the black regiment.
After the War, the protagonist begins his search for his family and ultimately for a place to call home.