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Title details for Black Cloud Rising by David Wright Faladé - Available

Black Cloud Rising

by David Wright Faladé
James Shippy
Audiobook
2 of 2 copies available
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2 of 2 copies available
By fall of 1863, Union forces had taken control of Tidewater Virginia and established a toehold in eastern North Carolina, including along the Outer Banks.
Thousands of freed slaves and runaways flooded the Union lines, but Confederate irregulars still roamed the region. In December, the newly formed African Brigade, a unit of these former slaves led by General Edward Augustus Wild—a one-armed,
impassioned abolitionist—set out from Portsmouth to hunt down the rebel guerrillas and extinguish the threat.
From this little-known historical episode comes Black Cloud Rising, a dramatic, moving account of these soldiers—men who only weeks earlier had been enslaved, but were now Union infantrymen setting out to fight their former owners. At the heart of the narrative is Sergeant Richard Etheridge, the son of a
slave and her master, raised with some privileges but constantly reminded of his place. Deeply conflicted about his past, Richard is eager to show himself to be a credit to his race. As the African Brigade conducts raids through the areas occupied by the Confederate Partisan Rangers, he and his comrades recognize
that they are fighting for more than territory. Wild's mission is to prove that his troops can be trusted as soldiers in combat. And because many of the men have fled from the very plantations in their path, each raid is also an opportunity to free loved ones left behind. For Richard, this means the possibility of reuniting
with Fanny, the woman he hopes to marry one day.
With powerful depictions of the bonds formed between fighting men and heartrending scenes of sacrifice and courage, Black Cloud Rising offers a compelling and nuanced portrait of enslaved men and women crossing the threshold to freedom.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    February 22, 2022

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781705049907
      • File size: 268151 KB
      • Duration: 09:18:38

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from October 18, 2021
      The story of the African Brigade, a unit of Black freedmen who fought for the Union during the Civil War, gets its due in this superior adult debut from Faladé (after the YA novel Away Running). The brigade’s efforts to hunt down Confederate guerrillas in North Carolina in the fall of 1863 are conveyed by Richard Etheridge, a historical figure who was born into slavery on Roanoke Island and fathered by his master, and whose white half-sister taught him to read and write. That upbringing left him with some ambivalence after he was freed; having enlisted in the Union Army “to help destroy” the Confederacy and its dehumanizing culture, Etheridge still retains some fond memories of the time before his liberation. As the brigade prepares for military action in hostile terrain, Etheridge flashes back to his past and to his time with Fanny Aydlett, the love interest he left behind to join the fight. Those recollections alternate with taut combat sequences as the unit struggles to pacify the area. Etheridge is made a fascinating figure, well suited to serve as the focal point for Faladé’s exploration of the complexities of Etheridge and his comrades’s rapid shift from powerlessness to armed military duty. Engrossing and complex, this will have readers riveted.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      James Shippy impeccably narrates this little known event in Civil War history. One-armed abolitionist General Edward Wild led the African Brigade to rout Confederate irregulars and bushwhackers to free Virginians and North Carolinians who were still enslaved. Listeners meet Wild's contingent of formerly enslaved people. Most interesting is highly educated Sergeant Richard Etheridge, the Black son of a white slaveholder. The action surges when Etheridge leaves the plantation to join Wild, who increasingly entrusts him with more responsibility. Lurid reports from front lines via NEW YORK TIMES reporter Tewksbury add authenticity. Shippy flawlessly conveys diverse accents, personalities, and conversations vital to the account. Audio enriches this sublime look at African-Americans in American history. S.G.B. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
    • Library Journal

      June 1, 2022

      Falad�'s (English, Univ. of Illinois; Fire on the Beach) first adult novel tells a story of the tangled web of race relations during the U.S. Civil War. Sergeant Richard Etheridge is the enslaved son of a slaveholder. Richard desperately wants the approval of his father, but that is not forthcoming. There is a longtime rivalry with his cousin, a Confederate guerrilla, and Richard's forces are searching for him. While Etheridge wants his cause and freedom to succeed, he can't quite cut ties with his blood relatives, regardless of their goals. Etheridge works to free other enslaved people, especially Fanny, the woman he wants to marry. This book offers a thoughtful picture of the war as well as the internal conflicts of the participants during and immediately after it. VERDICT Recommended for those interested in race, U.S. history, and the Civil War. A possible selection for high school students, though the vernacular of the time may be hard to comprehend.--Cheryl Youse

      Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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