Anne’s August Update and Musings – Henry

As an author, writing is one of my greatest joys. But reading is also up there in the top 5. And I think they go together seamlessly. I especially love to read a book that not only entertains you and takes you to a place that’s new and engaging, but a book that opens you up to think and imagine.

My dear friend, David Lincoln, has just published his latest book, Henry.  And this book hits all the checkmarks for me.

Henry is a slave on a plantation in Georgia in the mid 1800’s. But this book is so much more than another story about slavery. It explores how different perspectives can actually change the way you live. And that has impact on those around you.  

It explores a different view of how a plantation could, or would have been run in the 1800’s. One where violence is not the only way to yield power. Power can come in many forms. And sometimes it looks different than the stereotypical Southern plantation master. The way David Lincoln weaves a different view of slavery will captivate you. It did me.

The story progresses through the Civil War and culminates in the ultimate freeing of the slaves. And what I found fascinating about this book is that it gives you a different perspective of that freedom. Imagine that you are a slave who cannot read or write. You have lived on a plantation your entire life, sometimes never seeing anything else except that. You don’t even understand the concept of what a state is. You don’t know where you live within the US.

So, freedom may not be as straightforward as we might think.  

• Imagine being freed and not even knowing which direction to walk.

• Imagine not being able to claim land or work because you had no papers, no education, and no networks.

• Imagine freedom that drops you into the wilderness without a compass.

What would you do? Is freedom really a condition of law or is it knowledge and empowerment? I think that question still resonates today.

I just returned from a trip to South Dakota, where I was introduced to some new information regarding the assimilation of the slaves. Funny how things seem to fit together so synchronistically. I found out that many of the freed slaves were actually taken in by the Native Americans. A forgotten layer of history I suppose, where two oppressed groups found ways to support each other. The Cherokee, Seminole and Creek often took the freed slaves into their tribes. And in some cases, the assimilation was so complete that some of the Native American tribes lost their designation as Native Americans. This was the result of their DNA being changed by the assimilation of the freed slaves. I don’t recall learning about this in the history books that I read.

The other thing that I loved about Henry was a scene that I won’t describe here in detail – you need to read the book – but explores how Henry makes a decision about choosing love over hatred. Even though he had just endured the harshest punishment for something that wasn’t really even a punishable offense. In this chapter, Henry demonstrates that no matter what chains are placed on the body, the spirit can choose its own integrity.

Most slavery narratives focus on the understandable desire for revenge, resistance, or escape. Henry gives us something different: a man who, even after being humiliated, refuses to let cruelty define his actions. And I think that doesn’t excuse the system, it heightens the tragedy of it. Because it shows that within those brutal structures, there were people capable of heroism, compassion, and choices bigger than the lash.  

And when I mentioned a book being able to open you up to think, this book allowed me to explore a very important question. We might not be enslaved in chains, but life still marks us—through trauma, injustice, loss, or betrayal. So, my question is: when we are tested by the fire, do we perpetuate the cruelty, or do we choose to act from a deeper place of love and integrity?

Henry is layered in meaning, history, and what might have been.  And that’s what I love about it. You won’t be able to put it down, nor will you be able to stop thinking about it, weeks later. That’s the kind of book that I love!  

I think my biggest take-away is that freedom without knowledge is like a bird with clipped wings; it may not be chained, but it cannot fly. The story of Henry reminds us that true liberation requires more than unshackling; it requires direction, belonging, and the compassion of others to help you find your way. It is the alchemy of innocence meeting suffering — and what is born in the middle.

I also recommend David’s other books, Eloise and Vogel. You can find all of them on Amazon. Here is the link:

https://www.amazon.com/stores/David-Lincoln/author/B07S642182?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true&ccs_id=050660ad-eb9e-4302-9131-c35e270388ad