River to Redemption

By Ann H. Gabhart

Description:

Orphaned in the cholera epidemic of 1833, Adria Starr was cared for by a slave named Louis, a man who stayed in Springfield, Kentucky, when anyone with means had fled. A man who passed up the opportunity to escape his bondage and instead tended to the sick and buried the dead. A man who, twelve years later, is being sold by his owners despite his heroic actions. Now nineteen, Adria has never forgotten what Louis did for her. She's determined to find a way to buy Louis's freedom. But in 1840s Kentucky, she'll face an uphill battle.

Inspired by a true story, the vividly rendered town of Springfield and its citizens immerse readers in a story of courage, betrayal, and honor that will stick with them long after they turn the last page.

Book Takeaway:

Readers will admire a man who walked the paths the Lord opened up to him even when freedom was not his. They will cheer when a town reward that man's selfless service. The main characters will also find freedom and new hope.

Why the author wrote this book:

I came across the story of Louis, a slave who gave up a chance to escape bondage during the cholera epidemic of 1833. Instead, unaffected by cholera himself, he took care of the sick who had no one to care for them and buried those who died of the disease. The town later rewarded him by buying his freedom. My story, completely fiction except for that nougat of truth, is how I imagined that might have happened. So I introduced characters and events to dramatize his gift to the town and their gratitude in return.