The Price of Freedom

Their courage paid the price for an imperfect freedom

Set against the wild, water-laced landscape of 18th-century North Carolina, The Price of Freedom is a gripping historical epic that explores the high cost of liberty during the American Revolution.

In the remote coastal county of Currituck, known as "Coratank" or the Land of the Wild Goose, the unhurried rhythms of the agricultural year are shattered by the gathering storm of rebellion. As the distant echoes of the Boston Tea Party and the shots at Lexington reach the Albemarle Sound, a diverse cast of characters is forced to navigate a world of shifting allegiances and deep-seated moral contradictions.

• Sarah Mason, a solitary healer with a troubled past, serves as the county’s unofficial conscience, tending to the wounds of both Patriot and Loyalist while upholding an unwavering belief in shared humanity.
  
• Nathaniel Parker, a sturdy yeoman farmer, must leave his plow for the musket, facing his "baptism by fire" at the Battle of Great Bridge and wrestling with the grim realities of soldiering.
  
• Charity Mason, a fiery young intellectual, wields her pen as a sword, authoring seditious pamphlets that inspire a community even as they place her in the crosshairs of a ruthless Loyalist pursuit.
  
• Charles Flora, the heir to a vast Loyalist plantation, risks everything to play a dangerous game of espionage against his own father, driven by an awakened conscience and a revulsion toward the institution of slavery.
  
• Currituck Jack and Elijah, representative of the resilient free and enslaved Black communities, seek to carve out their own definition of freedom in a conflict that promises liberty to some while keeping others in chains.
  

From the smoky taverns of Moyock to the treacherous depths of the Great Dismal Swamp, The Price of Freedom is a richly authentic narrative of courage, sacrifice, and the enduring human struggle for justice. Alfred Gattenby’s deep connection to North Carolina history brings this pivotal era to life, showing that the winning of independence was only the beginning of a long and imperfect road toward a true republic.