Freeman

By: Leonard Pitts

Narrated by: Sean Crisden

Length: 15 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

Freeman, the new novel by Leonard Pitts, Jr., takes place in the first few months following the Confederate surrender and the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Upon learning of Lee's surrender, Sam - a runaway slave who once worked for the Union Army - decides to leave his safe haven in Philadelphia and set out on foot to return to the war-torn South. What compels him on this almost-suicidal course is the desire to find his wife, the mother of his only child, whom he and their son left behind 15 years earlier on the Mississippi farm to which they all "belonged".

At the same time, Sam's wife, Tilda, is being forced to walk at gunpoint with her owner and two of his other slaves from the charred remains of his Mississippi farm into Arkansas, in search of an undefined place that would still respect his entitlements as slave owner and Confederate officer.

The book's third main character, Prudence, is a fearless, headstrong white woman of means who leaves her Boston home for Buford, Mississippi, to start a school for the former bondsmen, and thus honor her father's dying wish.

At its core, Freeman is a love story - sweeping, generous, brutal, compassionate, patient - about the feelings people were determined to honor, despite the enormous constraints of the times. It is this aspect of the novel that should ensure it a strong, vocal, core audience of African-American women, who will help propel its likely critical acclaim to a wider audience. At the same time, this book addresses several themes that are still hotly debated today, some 145 years after the official end of the Civil War.

Like Cold Mountain, Freeman illuminates the times and places it describes from a fresh perspective, with stunning results. It has the potential to become a classic addition to the literature dealing with this period. Few other novels so powerfully capture the pathos and possibility of the era, particularly as it reflects the ordeal of the black slaves grappling with the promise - and the terror - of their new status as free men and women.

©2012 Leonard Pitts, Jr. (P)2012 Tantor

Critic reviews

"In lyrical prose, Pitts unflinchingly and movingly portrays the period's cruelties, and triumphs in capturing the spirit of the times through eminently-identifiable lead characters." ( Publishers Weekly)

The raw drama drew me in immediately and I couldn’t put it down!

This book was so real and heartbreaking. The way it presented the plight of the slaves who were free by law but not free because of the stubbornness of the evil people who had owned them and their refusal to acknowledge their loss of the war. It is unimaginable to understand the depravity of mankind in the owning and cruel treatment of fellow humans.
I was transfixed by the way the story wove itself between main characters and was heartbroken at the loss experienced by all. It was very eye opening to read about Tilda and the real fear she had of her master. The mindset and drive of Sam was refreshing, but then description of his losses ended up pulling him under only to rally with the help of Prudence.
The book was an emotional ride and very well written..

After the Civil War

Too often people assume that when a war ends the trouble stops, the problems are over. That is far from true. It took over a century to begin to fix the Civil Rights problem that was supposedly resolved with the conclusion of the Civil War in 1865! This book is an excellent study on what life was like for the blacks in the years following the Civil War. This book is all about how the Dixie Southerners continued to view the colored. Views did not change overnight. It is also about how the blacks viewed themselves. What is freedom when you have no money and no employment and no place to live? What is freedom when you don’t know where your mother, father, wife and children are or even if they are still alive? What is freedom after rape and murder and repetitive beatings? How do you reach emotional stability after living through such horror? Can you forgive?

This book draws a picture that I believe to be accurate and realistic. It cannot be an easy read or a comforting read, but it ends with hope and a promise for the future. Parts were hard for me to read, and that is because the author made me care for the characters. Some were clever, others despicable, but all of them felt real.

I appreciated that both sides, the slave owners and the slaves, were portrayed fairly. One was not all wrong and the other all right. Even the most despicable were occasionally, well, at least not all bad!

I also liked how the plot unrolled. The author created a fascinating story that you want to understand. You want to know what is going to happen and how the problems will be resolved. At the end you understand everything. There are no loose ends, and I very much like the ending, being both realistic and hopeful too.


At first I was uncomfortable with the narration by Sean Crisden, but by the end I loved it. What bothered me at first was when he spoke lines presented in the third person. He stops at the periods and commas, and I felt he was listening to himself with a tone of self-satisfaction. However as you listen further, and as you become aware of each character’s personality, there are more and more dialogs and these are just perfect. He captures the Southern dialect and the Yankee dialect, the whites and the blacks, women and men and children, all equally well.

I will close with a quote from the book:

“You gotta have hope. To hope is the whole point. Being scared all the time ain’t much different from bein dead.”

There are good lines to suck on! I liked this book very much, and I highly recommend the audio format.

Wonderful Historical Fiction

A great 'quest' story, well written and set in a fascinating time in US history. I loved the humanity and complexity of all the characters, good and bad. This is just a really good book, and I highly recommend it.

Made me feel as though I was there

No formula plot twists or ending. A masterful weaving of post civil war history with a cast of unforgettable characters. Sorry it had to end.

An epic, painful and enlightening love story

Where does Freeman rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Among the top 10 for its storytelling skill, historical accuracy and emotional weight.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The main character, Sam Freeman. His story is metaphorical for that of a Black man in the America over every generation since emancipation.

What about Sean Crisden’s performance did you like?

Crisden did an excellent job of capturing the voices and emotions of each of the characters without overdoing it.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

An epic love story that will stir every emotion

Any additional comments?

I always wanted to read an epic story in which the protagonist goes on a quest to save all of mankind. And I wanted this protagonist to be a Black person. Leonard Pitts Jr. has accomplished this in Freeman. But with a few unexpected dimensions. The story is historically accurate to the post-enslavement period immediately after the civil war. The quest is for love and what turns out to be a search for what is right. But right and righteousness prove to be elusive at best. And the ending...well...you will have to judge for yourself.

Be assured, this is a very tough read. Pitts unflinchingly captures the cruelty and horror of the time. But he also manages to expertly narrate the psychologies of a new nation. In an at times poetic and expertly prosaic narrative style Pitts captures the humanness, intelligence, passion, fear, resignation and hope of the formerly enslaved. Indeed, I have not read it done quite like this before. A good read indeed.

inspiring

This was a good story. I struggled with it in the beginning but I really h it into it around the middle. Tragic.....love never fails.

Engaging Story, but Needed Editing

I enjoyed the historically accurate story, vivid language, and theme. However, there were too many extraneous characters and repetitive story lines. Needed editing.

What a delight!!

This book was so well written, I enjoyed it from beginning to end, I felt the emotions of the characters, the anger, sadness, happiness, hopefulness, I just cant say enough about this book it was just wonderful. I cant wait to read more from the author. This was a great story of love, endurance, strength and hope!!!

A Joy to Listen To! Do Not Miss this one!

I rarely give so many "stars" to an Audible book but this one truly deserves it. The story was well written, the characters were "fleshed out" and it all merged into a crescendo plot, expertly done, beautifully done, expertly narrated....Go get it!

Suberb

I initially hesitated to read a post Civil War novel anticipating another depressing account of man's inhumanity to man. That was not the book's focus. It gave insights as to why people think as they do and act. The narrator was outstanding, portraying different voices in a comfortable natural, acceptable manner. I looked forward to every opportunity to continue listening.