Karen's Reviews > Freeman

Catching up…

Several years ago, a few of my gal pals decided to read and discuss this book since we truly admired Pitts as a columnist and were excited for him to win the Pulitzer. We were hopeful we would like this book, as well. (And yes, a perfect book discussion selection!)

I have since had the opportunity to re-visit it so I could bring my review to Goodreads.

This is the story of Freeman, which seems an appropriate name for Sam, an ex-slave in post-Civil War America. Sam is a self-educated employee of the Philadelphia Free Library, who was a Union Soldier. He had been walking through a war-torn land of chaos and lawlessness attempting to find his long-lost wife. His wife was sold into slavery years earlier.

It may feel like the North has won the war, but the worst horrors of slavery don’t look like they have ended.

This book will give readers American history we didn’t get in school, the Civil War, African American history up close, along with an engrossing read.

As readers we witness an epic storytelling experience with characters that feel real and are well-developed and will stay with us long after we turn the last page.

The story is so compelling and passionate that readers will feel as if we are present to the realities of the time. Unsettling in its telling, but a relevant and realistic glimpse at an important time in history.

There is so much to appreciate about Pitt’s ambitions in this story. A well-deserved win.