Out of the Shadow of Darkness
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Out of the Shadow of Darkness is the second book in the Esi Was My Mother series. Esi and Kofi, two kidnapped Fante from West Africa, gave birth to several children while enslaved in Virginia. Among them are Fannie and Dan, the two featured in this historical novel that is the product of research in countless documents and over 400 books, found in many archives and ten libraries located in five states.
Looking for a love that will last, Fannie escapes to Cincinnati and marries a husband who turns abusive whom she eventually leaves to continue her search for love as she moves west with her best friend Val, who has purchased her freedom. The two begin their own laundry business in St. Louis before marrying black mountain men and moving to the Rocky Mountains. There they encounter Kit Carson, Jim Beckwourth, and others who shape one of the few places in pre-Civil War America that actually values freedom for all. In addition to being the land of opportunity, the Rocky Mountains is also a frontier where violence explodes at the most unexpected times.
Dan has spent his early manhood breaking the hearts of women from many cultures but settles down after nearly dying when attacked by slave catchers. With Zephyrine, his beautiful, faithful wife by his side, he becomes a respected Cincinnati businessman who makes a valiant attempt to be seen as a gentleman. Instead of liberty and justice for all he has to contend with legal restrictions, repeated mob attacks, and the errors of his youth.
A powerful and steady support to Dan is his sister, Sarah, the daughter featured in Sarah’s Song, the first novel in the series. Her home is north of Cincinnati in a Quaker enclave famous for its underground railroad activity. Several Quakers and abolitionists including Harriet Beecher Stowe and Salmon P. Chase lend their support in a determined quest for social justice.
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