It's 1859, and Lani, a Yoruba young lady, is torn from the safety of her village in West Africa by marauding men. - this debut novel puts a teenager's prospective on the antebellum South with an unusual choice for her existence or freedom. Lani and her mother, Toluwani, are brought to a Caribbean island where she quickly makes friends with Molayo and other girls who join together for protection and inspiration. Even though she is far from home, Lani is determined to perform an empowering dance from her native land. Ultimately, she's sold, settling in the piney woods of East Texas. Her journey, however, reveals a pathway to freedom in Mexico, hidden talent recognized, and unbelievable hope. On the plantation she must handle peer pressure, buru folks, bullying, and an unexpected surprise feeling of romance for Agibe, or Ben. When the opportunity for freedom is upon her, Lani learns of an impending fire. Should she let the plantation burn, stay and fight, or take this opportunity to run away? She must grow into a women filled with hope, African customs, Yoruba words, and will strengthen you in knowing your self worth, even today.
Cynthia L. Matlock grew up on a farm in Texas, and she enjoys researching untold and often forgotten stories about brave people with challenges. She's a History Preservationist who encourages Survival skills in others. Fans of historical Fiction and enlightening historical nonfiction stories will enjoy her stories. She has published several magazine articles that shares the country lifestyle. She enjoys playing the piano and relaxing near a River, muddy pond, or BEACH.
Her latest book is "The Search For Vanished Schools," available on Amazon.
A must read! This books takes you back in time allowing you to feel what our ancestors went through many years ago. The author does a wonderful job of taking you on journey with a young girl named Lani who must make tough decisions in order to survive being sold into slavery and separated from her loved ones.
Great book for historical fiction fans. I thought the book was well-written and filled with great characters. The author's writing was very descriptive of the characters and the environment around them.
I recommend this book to readers. It was very inspiring to see even in tough times, the characters had a desire to become self-sufficient. Lani was a strong character that overcame obstacles and still dreamed. Yes, check this one out for good historical information.
A heart wrenching story of the women/men being torn from their families;and, even further separation of mother and daughter. Timing gave me hope for the main characters though because I recognized that they wouldn't live long through the unspeakable horrors of slavery. Also, was glad to hear reference of the South bound Underground Railroad (via Texas) thru Mexico, not mentioned much, if at all, by most historical slavery information,