Amazon www.jacquelinemalcolm.com BlackBookPlus Amazon Category:  Historical Fiction Publisher: Seaburn Publishing Group ISBN-10:  1592323855 Type: Fiction Pages: 247 Copyright: December 2011 ISBN-13: 9781592323852 It’s 18th Century New York and the slave trade continues amidst an historical political upheaval. Hezekiah Thomas, born the son of a white General and his black enslaved mother, suddenly finds himself a free man. But what is freedom without money? Through a concoction of chance and opportunities, Hezekiah is faced with the decision to go against all of his convictions and become an owner of slaves. It’s 18th Century New York and the slave trade continues amidst an historical political upheaval. Hezekiah Thomas, born the son of a white General and his black enslaved mother, suddenly finds himself a free man.  But what is freedom without money?  Through a concoction of chance and opportunities, Hezekiah is faced with the decision to go against all of his convictions and become an owner of slaves.   Jacqueline Malcolm’s masterful story telling not only addresses the ageless discussion of the motives behind the reported black slave owners of the period; we are also taken on a journey into our own hearts and desires – how far will we go to survive? How far will we go for a profit? Excerpt I have a Beast. He resides inside me living, breathing - waiting. He was present at my birth. A birth that by all accounts wasn’t easy. Nature’s sign of what was to come; my life, as my birth, has never been easy. This isn’t easy! I can hear crying...no, more than that. I hear screaming, wailing. A boy, no, a man wailing; he cries out, it sounds strange, a man’s voice crying out for his mother. “Mother, don’t leave me, don’t go.” More tears, more cries. It’s never ending. A hard pain grips at my chest, cutting off my breath. I can’t breath. I’m not breathing. My screams have stopped. No one’s making a sound, now just a heaviness in the room crushing me. My legs give way, I fall to the ground, my hands grabbing out; save me, save myself. I clutch the lifeless body of my mother, already turning cold. Cold already? It’s too quick. It’s all happening too fast. I can’t breathe. I look around the dark room for air, I see him then, hidden in the shadows. And I remember. She had called his name last. Not mine. His! Jamie, she said. That was her name for him. He hated it. Stomped his foot, demanded she call him James or better still, Mr. Thomas. But she loved him, told him it was her breast he had weaned from; so that’s what she called my brother; she called him Jamie. And with her last breath she had said, Jamie, I forgive you. I’m on my hands and knees, the pain growing, my breath disappearing. I look at James, visible as the lone candle catches the whiteness of his skin. Jacqueline Malcolm 7 I see you, James! I find my voice hoarse from the screams. “What did you do?” He doesn’t answer. His head just bows lower. He makes a sound, a shudder, a gasp. But he doesn’t answer. Why doesn’t he answer me? From nowhere hands hold me from behind. Strong hands. White hands. Lifting me to my feet. Has death come for me too? I turn ready to fight. I look into the green eyes of my father. Green eyes filled with water. Tears. He’s crying. My father, the General, the man who never cries, now cries for my dead mother. His mistress. His slave. “She’s gone, Zeke.” His voice is gentle. He called me Zeke. She calls me Zeke, not him. My father only ever calls me Hezekiah, sometimes ‘boy’, often 'Nigger'. Never son! Mama called me Zeke, but now she’s gone. But father is here, calling me Zeke. I ask him, “What did he do?” “The doctor did everything he could…” “Not the doctor; him! Him!” My finger points at James, my father’s son. “Him!” “You’re in shock, you’re not thinking straight.” “She said his name. She called him Jamie. Told him she forgave him. It was the last thing she said, that she forgave him.” And for the first time I release the Beast. I feel him growing inside me, coming to the surface, taking control. I’m disappearing in his fury. The Beast is here. My hands clench, they’re now fists. I’m flying across the room. I knock the bed of my dead mother as I rush past, it doesn’t wake her. The Beast smashes the face of my brother; growling, snarling, he smashes again. It takes more than the SLAVE: Escaping the Chains of Freedom 8 General to control the Beast. I hear his voice calling the servants for help but they’ll come too late; the Beast must have his day, his time is now. He’s been too quiet for too long. The Beast roars his freedom. He smashes and roars; bites, tears, claws and roars. My brother’s blood covers me. His nose is broken, his blood gushing. He cries out, but not for help. The pain’s too much for him, yet he does nothing to defend himself, nothing to stop the Beast. I steady the Beast so I may look my brother in the eye for myself. And that’s when I see it! An awareness. His own acknowledgement that he deserves this, he deserves the Beast. “What did you do, Jamie? What did you do?” We both cry then. We cry for our lost childhood, our lost friendship. Our lost love. We cry for the dead woman on the bed, the corpse we had both called, Mama. We hold each other and we cry. “What did you do?” Why doesn’t he answer me?

Literary Inklings Review by Casee Marie
Review: Slave: Escaping the Chains of Freedom by Jacqueline Malcolm
by CASEE MARIE on DECEMBER 14, 2012 · 2 COMMENTS
in FICTION, REVIEWS
In the late 18th century New York is on the brink of revolution as America wages its war for independence from the British crown. Amid the political upheaval of the age, slavery is as prominent as ever before. Hezekiah Thomas was born to a white General father and black slave mother, placing him at a unique position in the general’s house. Born a slave, Hezekiah’s life has been a war of good and evil, from the love he’s found in his wife Betsy to the mysterious death of his mother and the subsequent animosity that has grown between him and his half-brother, James. On their father’s death, Hezekiah finds himself unexpectedly a free man for the first time in his life; a portion of the General’s last will and testament that causes no shortage of anger from James. Finally liberated, Hezekiah drinks in the sensation of having the power to build his own life; but soon, with his pregnant wife and unborn daughter still slaves and with the intolerant world of New York on the brink of the Revolutionary War as his only hope, Hezekiah finds that freedom can destroy a man as quickly as it liberates him. He teaches himself a valuable trade, but despite his best efforts he finds himself embroiled in the one enterprise he swore never to acknowledge: slave ownership. As his pride and blind hope cause him to make unwise decisions, Hezekiah finds himself slipping further into a dark situation that can only bring about tragedy for his loved ones and their dreams of a happy life.

Slave: Escaping the Chains of Freedom is Jacqueline Malcolm’s first novel in her new trilogy, which boldly explores the harsh realities of slavery in Revolutionary America and examines the lives of those affected by its injustice. Malcolm has given the series a forceful and passionate beginning with its opening novel. Her ability for storytelling grabs hold of her reader and captures them relentlessly as she weaves comfortably through the dramatic themes of hope, endurance, faith, and man’s fight for the greatest, most elusive prize: freedom. Hezekiah is a character born of stark drama and bursting with energy as his narrative offers both personal reflection and suspense; his naivety is at some points palpable, and the reader can begin to see the threads of misfortune weaving together while Hezekiah continues in his plight. It’s always a daring choice to let the reader in on the realities of a story before the hero is aware, but in Malcolm’s case the plot works out well. I found myself mourning Hezekiah’s decisions without being entirely sure that hope was really lost; enough of the story was kept yet beyond my prediction that the novel kept me in rapt attention throughout. Hezekiah is a strong character, one I rooted for greatly, but he’s also very flawed, and perhaps this encourages his endearment to the reader. While he sees the injustice of slavery that others have yet to understand, he himself is blind to the power and worth of women: his emotions often battle with his wife Betsy, at once putting her and his love for her above all else before mentally pushing her opinions aside, determined that a woman could not understand business, could not understand the realities of freedom. His misguided ideas are to be expected in the era, and as a reader I didn’t fault him. His lessons are difficult ones to learn, but his love for his family and his determination to make them free will guide him over all obstacles; in that, Malcolm has created a fantastic character that reflects both the realities of the 18th century and the progression still to come.

I was swept up in the story, relishing in the way it would ease into a comfortable pace before whisking away on new revelations. It was always a step ahead of me, and the ending left me breathless in the way that great reading experiences often do. Every character, from the kind-hearted Betsy to James’s deceitful wife Gloria, jumped off the pages and pulled me into their world. Malcolm’s vivid portrayal of Revolutionary America is beautifully crafted, her language poetic, and her history wonderfully researched. Slave: Escaping the Chains of Freedom is a novel that offers not just an engaging story, but a chance to open our minds to past injustices and explore the reasons for man’s pursuit of them. The vision of the book and its author is a powerful one, and the result is a book that will compel its readers throughout before leaving them hungry for more.


Amazon Review by Steve Katz
This is a great addition to the Literature concerning slavery, and an amazingly needed addition to Black Literature, concerning subjects either little covered or not at all prior to this point. Also, one of the best, and well written, books I've read in a long time (both generally and subject-wise), leaving me wanting more and looking forward to the other books in the series. If you have any interest in Black history and literature, this would be a much needed addition to your collection.

Authonomy Review R. Dango
"You really have a very strong story here. And superbly written. Gripping read, that remind us of not only the time of slavery, but also the time that divorce was unacceptable, and women were blamed for not getting pregnant. Hat off!"