The Fires of Jubilee
This book by Stephen B. Oates describes a sad and tragic story about a man named Nat Turner who was born into slavery and his fight to be free. Ironically, his willingness to do anything, even kill, to gain his freedom leads to his own demise. From the title of this book, "The Fires of Jubilee," a reader can truly grasp the concept that there is trouble, chaos, and mayhem brewing in the month of August. This story was not only riveting, but also one that kept me on my heels for almost the entire time that I was reading it. Stephen B. Oates, a prize-winning author of thirteen books and more then seventy articles, is currently a professor of history at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Some of his best novels have been "With Malice Toward None: The Life of Abraham Lincoln," "Let the Trumpet Sound: The Life of Martin Luther King. Jr.," and "Rip Ford's Texas." His writing is riveting as well as courageous. His willingness to get to such length to capture the mind of the reader and hold them in suspense has earned him several awards throughout his lustrous career. Some of the awards that Oates has received are the Christopher Award and the Barondess/Lincoln Award of the New York Civil War Round
After the rebellion and the death of Nat Turner, Garrison and Knapp, whom believed that Negroes had as much to the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness as whites enjoyed, published the "Liberator" in Boston, demanding that slaves be emancipated and freed. Though it cannot be said with certainty that this was the one major event that sparked the freeing of slaves of everywhere in the United States, but is without a doubt an important aspect in opening the eyes of the American people about the concept of slavery. My first impression upon seeing this novel was that I would probably hate it, after all, I am not much of a history buff. Yet, when I began to read it, I found it quite intriguing. The more I read, the more I wanted to finish the story to find out what was going to happen to Nat. I must admit that I wanted to jump right to the last page just to get a peek of the ending, but I resisted my temptation to do so. As I read the story, I began to feel for Nat. Though I really can't agree with how he went about trying to gain his freedom, the author's way of writing left me little choice but to urge Nat on. The author supported his thesis of Nat's liberation well, "thou shalt give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burning for burning"(ix). I believe that Nat did everything in his powers to fight for freedom. It shows how dedicated. He was willing to go to drastic measures to gain the freedom that he so much desired, and deserved. Born into slavery, Nat Turner was perhaps one exception to the rule; he was a master's worst nightmare come true. Nat Turner was not only an intelligent man, he knew how to read and write; but he was also determined, willing to go to tremendous measures to gain his freedom, even if it meant killing. He was liked by both the whites and fellow slaves, some of whom came to think of him as a prophet, a savior of slaves. During their "March of Destruction," things began to get out of hand. Though he was willing to go to e
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Approximate Word count = 1373
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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