Simi Bedford

Abiola is a clever young warrior in West Africa, part of a highly developed society rich not only in trade, but also in metaphorical and spiritual understanding. But neither his prowess nor the sophistication of his culture can save him from betrayal, capture, and being sold into slavery. His name changes to?Cornelius as he becomes the property of a Frenchman in the South, from whom he?runs away?to join the British?in the Revolutionary War, hoping for a chance at?freedom.?He and his family eventually?flee to the snowy misery of Nova Scotia, and?from there?are eventually repatriated back to West Africa—the story comes full circle, and Sierra Leone is named as the home of freed slaves. But all is not as Cornelius had dreamed: Sierra Leone is run, like a colony, by white men, and though slave trading is?officially banned, it continues, more lucrative for being driven underground. His daughter, Epiphany, however, has discovered that she has the same gift of metaphorical and spiritual understanding as her ancestors.