David Beasley Reviews

Added July 18, 2005

Sarah's Journey

Author: David Beasley
Publisher: Davus Publishing
Available At: www.kwic.com/~davus/index.htm
Publishing Date: Available Now
Genre: Fiction: Historical
Format: Trade Paperback
Price: $19.95
ISBN: 0-915317-14-1
Reviewer: Joyce Handzo
Rating: 8 Gargoyles

Meticulously researched and riveting, Sarah's Journey is an in-depth look at the life of a slave woman and her children. Sarah Lewis was a real person who was born in 1790 and escaped to Simcoe, Upper Canada in 1822. This book chronicles her life, loves and losses. Her story is gripping, and is filled with many graphic details. Readers will not be able to forget this woman and her family.

David Beasley is to be commended for the hours he spent in tracking down this information. The pages are literally bursting with facts, names and descriptions of actual events. Yet, the author also has a firm understanding of the relations between the black and white community in Simcoe. He was able to convey this emotional aspect to readers through the use of appropriate dialogue and the conduct of the characters.

Sarah's story is filled with both the horrors of slavery and the hope that lies within a slave's heart. She had married a black man whom she thought was free until he was taken back to his master in chains. She was later sold, raped and abused. She decided to escape with her three youngest children through the Ohio wilderness to Simcoe. Yet, her freedom was still fraught with problems. Political unrest in Canada, as well as an American invasion, puts her life in jeopardy again.

Sarah was a resourceful woman and her example must have inspired her children. Her son, Duncan Campbell, became one of the richest men in New York City. It was very interesting to follow the lives of her family members as they escaped the oppression of slavery.

The author has told a comprehensive and compelling story. He has thoroughly examined slavery through the lenses of politics, religion, and the economy. He gives readers a taste of the bitterness of a slave's existence as well as the sweetness of freedom. These pages will cause readers to both recoil and rejoice. But the most important thing this book does is to help people remember.

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