Begin the world over

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Title :

Begin the world over / Kung Li Sun.

Title:

Begin the world over

Author:

Sun, Kung Li

Format:

Books

Series:

Emergent Strategy Series ; no. 5

Emergent strategy series ; 5.

Physical Description:

286 pages ; 20 cm.

ISBN:

9781849354721

Production / Publication Information:

Chico, CA : AK Press, 2022.

Summary:

A revolutionary tale of Black and Indigenous insurrection. History as it should have been.

"In 1793, as revolutionaries in the West Indies take up arms, James Hemings has little interest in joining the fight for liberté—talented and favored, he is careful to protect his relative comforts as Thomas Jefferson’s enslaved chef. But when he meets Denmark Vesey, James is immediately smitten. The formidable first mate persuades James to board his ship, on its way to the revolt in Saint-Domingue. There and on the mainland they join forces with a diverse cast of characters, including a gender nonconforming prophetess, a formerly enslaved jockey, and a Muskogee horse trader. The resulting adventure masterfully mixes real historical figures and events with a riotous retelling of a possible history in which James must decide whether to return to his constrained but composed former life, or join the coalition of Black revolutionaries and Muskogee resistance to fight the American slavers and settlers."--Back cover.

Language:

English

Geographic Term:

Haiti -- History -- Revolution, 1791-1804 -- Fiction.

Personal Subject:

Hemings, James, 1765-1801-Fiction.

Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826-Fiction.

Subject Term:

Slave rebellions -- Fiction.

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Material Type	Library	Call Number	Item Barcode	Location
Book	Searching... Andover - Memorial Hall Library	SF SUN	31330009231287	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Groton Public Library	FIC SUN	37003702022071	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

In 1793, as revolutionaries in the West Indies take up arms, James Hemings has little interest in joining the fight for liberte - talented and favoored, he is careful to protect his relative comforts as Thomas Jefferson's enslaved chef. But when he meets Denmark Vesey, James is immediately smitten. The formidable first mate persuades James to board his ship, on its way to the revolt in Saint-Domingue. There and on the mainland they join forces with a diverse cast of characters, including a gender nonconforming prophetess, a formerly enslaved jockey, and a Muskogee horse trader. The resulting adventure masterfully mixes real historical figures and events with a riotous retelling of a possible history in which James must decide whether to return to his constrained but composed former life, or join the coalition of Black revolutionaries and Muskogee resistance to fight the American slavers and settlers.

Reviews (1)

Booklist Review

If just one thing in the past could be changed, how drastically different would the world be today? James Hemings, the older brother of Sally Hemings, has been enslaved his entire life. By his mother's ingenuity, he's been educated in Paris in the art of French cooking, making him a valued part of Thomas Jefferson's household. Overnight, his life will take a wild turn, when James unintentionally escapes aboard a ship bound for the Caribbean. At times an unwitting and unwilling main character, James often finds himself swept away by the determination of those around him. His companions, a ragtag group of runaway slaves, make for an eclectic cast of characters, almost all of them historical figures that have been brought to life by Sun. Telling an alternative history of the Caribbean slave rebellions in the 1790s, it's a story of adventure, determination, and people's passion for freedom and each other. This historical fiction with a twist has an intriguing plot that will make the reader ask how the world could be different.