William Henry is a Fine Name

By Cathy Gohlke

Description:

It is 1859, and thirteen-year-old Robert is torn between loyalty to his abolitionist father and his mother’s slave-holding family.

After his best friend, William Henry, is trapped in a deadly scheme to protect secrets of the Underground Railroad Robert vows never to get involved again. But when he discovers his grandfather’s plan to sell his own son, born of a slave woman, Robert must decide whether to stand idly by or risk everything to help him escape.

William Henry is a Fine Name is a coming of age story, a tale of friends—and a nation—caught in the chaos of slavery, forced to take a stand.

Book Takeaway:

I hope readers will realize that we are not victims of our circumstances, but are free to choose what we believe and how we act upon those beliefs. I hope this book will help readers see that the Bible holds real life answers for our questions, and that a life spent believing in and honoring God is as natural as breathing.

Awards:

Why the author wrote this book:

From the moment in childhood that I learned of the Underground Railroad I have been fascinated by that daring race to freedom and inspired by the courageous stories of its runners, conductors, and stationmasters. I also know what it is to be young, caught between those I love, and their ideologies. I grew up in the south during the Civil Rights movement, and have always known that the first book I would write would be about the Underground Railroad and the conflict over slavery.