Imagine living in a world where every facet of your existence is beyond your control. Imagine living in a world where your God-given physical traits are resented and reviled. Imagine living in a world where your humanity is subject to judicial and social debate. Imagine living in a world where the government of the people, by the people, and for the people is explicit and implicit in denying you the most basic of human rights-life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. For James, this isn't imagination but a horrifically callous reality. Despite the stacked odds against him, despite the incredible obstacles he faced, this African American survived and thrived during his journey. A Journey Far: Ibere (Beginnings) starts with James being sold into bondage in the 1840s antebellum South and ends in 1850s New York City as the Confederate attack on Ft. Sumter, South Carolina, precipitates the U. S. Civil War. In this work of Historical Fiction-James reacts to and interacts with historical people and events as his journey takes him far from his brutal beginnings, through a life of malicious prejudice, and toward a future rife with hopes of freedom, promises of equality, and revelations of self.
