Where I'm Bound: A Novel [Deckle Edge] [Hardcover]

Allen B Ballard (Author)

Book Description

"Where I'm Bound," a stunning and engaging Civil War novel, is the first work of fiction to focus solely on the soldiers of an African-American regiment. Throughout the war, more than 180,000 African-American men fought for the Union Army. Many were escaped slaves, others were freed men; yet all voluntarily enlisted for one cause: freedom. For the first time in fiction, their experiences are successfully portrayed in a manner befitting the grandeur and scope of their contributions. Inspired by the true story of a black cavalry unit in Mississippi, renowned African-American historian Allen Ballard weaves factual events with the fictional account of an escaped slave, Joe Duckett, who flees to join the Northern Army.

When Duckett escapes his life of bondage to become a cavalry scout, he grows to be more than a free man -- he becomes a hero. Duckett and his hard-riding regiment roam the Mississippi Delta, freeing slaves and keeping vital waterways open for the Union. As the war approaches its final, tragic days, Duckett embarks on his most dangerous mission yet: to return to the plantation from which he escaped in order to reunite with his wife and daughter.

More than just an account of the Civil War, "Where I'm Bound" is an affecting portrayal of the psychological effects of war. Through the character Duckett, some of war's greatest tragedies are painfully evoked -- the agonizing separation from family, the horrendous mission of having to kill another man, and the cruelty and moral corruption that occur when men's passions are their greatest weapons against one another. This story of one man's ability to meet such overwhelming challenges brings to life the noble fight forfreedom as displayed by African-American soldiers as well as the effects of that fight on an entire country and culture.

Dr. Ballard's first work of fiction is a striking blend of historical fact and dramatic storytelling brilliantly illustrating the accomplishments of African-American Civil War soldiers. "Where I'm Bound" is destined to become a classic novel of the Civil War.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Nonfiction author Ballard (The Education of Black Folk), a history and African-American studies professor, combines both areas of expertise in his debut novel, to show what life was like for black cavalry scout Joe Duckett and an all-black regiment during the Civil War. Duckett flees a harsh Louisiana plantation in 1863 to join up with Union troops fighting the Confederates, leaving behind a wife, Zenobia, and daughter Cally. His other two children were sold to another slave holder, and Joe's dream of reuniting his whole family is the heart of the narrative. Ballard chooses to tell Joe's story through a chorus of voices, which provide the viewpoints of both enslaved and freed African-Americans, as the conflict finally swings in favor of the North. Zenobia, loyal to Joe, dodges the attentions of Drayton, a black overseer, but when the owners of Kenworthy plantation decide to move their human chattel into Alabama to avoid the advancing Yankees, Zenobia accepts the chance offered by Drayton to keep her family geographically closer to possible freedom. The shattered life of Maj. Richard Kenworthy provides the Confederate point of view, as Kenworthy raids abandoned plantations along the Mississippi. Ballard's well-researched and vivid portrayal recreates the decline of the Old South and delves into the psychology of racism not only on the part of the Confederacy, but also among many Yankee soldiers who resisted viewing their black troops in human terms. Avoiding stereotypes, Ballard contextualizes the main characters historically, and gives them nuanced personalities and expressive dialogue. Despite a series of predictable, overly romanticized final scenes, This is a powerful novel about a soldier fighting in a war that would determine his personal destiny and that of a young nation. Agent, Owen Laster.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School-An engrossing fictional account of the important role of African-American soldiers in the Civil War. Joe Duckett, whose father was African and whose mother was "part colored, part Choctaw," escaped from the Mississippi plantation where he and his family were enslaved. He joins the Union army and the strong and skillful man moves up the ranks of the Third United States Colored Cavalry. All the while, he sorely misses his wife and their three children and holds onto the dream of reuniting with them. The historical facts are presented in a compelling way, the characters are vivid, and the battle scenes are alive with tension and action. Readers are kept in touch with the complex emotions and thought processes of a wide range of characters, both male and female, black and white, as the story unfolds. The one disappointing aspect of this informative and highly entertaining novel, however, is its attribution of Joe's bravery and fierce pride solely to the Native American part of his ancestry. Nonetheless, it would be a perfect read for students who are studying the Civil War.-Joyce Fay Fletcher, Prince William County Library System, VA

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (October 5, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684870312
• ISBN-13: 978-0684870311
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,612,608 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Spell-binding piece of writing., November 29, 2000

By 

G. Smith (Hudson River Valley, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Where I'm Bound: A Novel (Hardcover)

I've just finished it and can truly say that it is among the best works written on the African-American experience in the United States. As a matter of fact, its one of the best novels I've read in years. It's also a great Civil War novel, right up there with "Gone With The Wind" and "Killer Angels". It is the story of a Black calvary soldier down in Mississippi during the Civil War who is fighting to free his family from slavery. It is also the story of the soldier's wife,

Zenobia, who tries to lead her family to freedom through swamps and encounters with bands of Army deserters. The battle scenes are striking--you really feel that you are there. Ballard seems to have gone out of his way to show all sides, including the Confederates, to have their say. He portrays their views in a way that is faithful to the times. The characters are not stereotypical. And the encounters between the ex-slave, now a calvary Sergeant called Joe Duckett , and his ex-master, now a Confederate Colonel named Kenworthy are powerfullly written. This is a well paced war novel and fantastic love story. The characters are real people you live, love, hurt, and die with them. It's a great read and will make an excellent gift for Christmas or Kwanzaa for all lovers of fiction, but especially for any Civil War buffs or lovers of African American history or just plain historical fiction.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars We Die Free, March 26, 2001

By 

taking a rest - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Where I'm Bound: A Novel (Hardcover)

"Where I'm Bound", is a work of historically-based fiction by Mr. Allen B. Ballard documenting the 180,000 African American Men who fought for the Union Army during this Nation's Civil War. Like the "Buffalo Soldiers" who served this Country in its Western Frontier, the 1,000 commissioned officers in World War I, the 370,000 "Doughboys" of World War I, or the Tuskegee Airman of World War II fighter pilot fame, these men and women fought and died for ideas and beliefs for which they have never been fully rewarded.

Rewarded may be the wrong word, perhaps recognition was all they sought. The tragedy of what they sought was something that their white counterparts took for granted, or in some cases took away from them. These African-American Soldiers were in some instances freedmen, in other, slaves who had escaped and then joined the Union Army to march directly back and fight those who enslaved them. They fought to reunite their families, they fought for what they were told would be waiting for them if the Union won, they fought for what the white men they fought and died with had enjoyed under the words, "we hold these truths to be self evident". The truths were self evident if you were white, male, and owned property. If you did not meet these criteria the words were as meaningless then as they are today.

Mr. Ballard recreates the horror of hand-to-hand fighting that was often a part of any given battle in this Country's Civil War. His story is fiction, however it is based upon real individuals that lived and fought, and the battles they fought and gave their lives in. His story contains all that was insidious in this war, however he also brings balance by depicting events that this reader did not expect to have actually happened. The events resolved themselves as one would hope they would, and that was why they were surprising to read, and an even greater surprise to read they are historically accurate.

Those who believed he was their savior refer to President Abraham Lincoln repeatedly in this book. They believed he was going to make them citizens a century after they had been excluded from the populace unless counted as property. What would they have felt, and how would they have fought if they knew this same President, "did not believe blacks and whites could live together"?

There were 180,000 black soldiers in the Union Army. How many African Americans do you see when the reenactments of some of the battles take place? How many paintings by those who chronicle that period of History celebrate the blood that was shed that was as red as any, but valued less because of its source?

If there were a vantage point from which those who have died can see what has resulted from their sacrifice, what changes would they see and what it is they died for, how would they feel? Their decision to fight and in their moment of death they may have indeed been free. But did their deaths bring the freedom they thought they were dying for? The answer is pathetic, as any cursory review of the century following the end of the Civil War will show.

This is an important book that I hope will cause the writing of many more. History is only as worthwhile as it is complete and accurate. African Americans, Native Americans, and other minorities have fought and died for the freedom we all enjoy. Because of books like this History becomes more valuable, for if you were to judge the contributions of African Americans by the number of monuments that have been raised to honor them, you would think they were barely present, much less a powerful positive element in the history of this Country.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Making Fiction Come Alive, December 4, 2000

By 

Robert A. Thomas (Folsom, CA 95630) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Where I'm Bound: A Novel (Hardcover)

In his magnificent novel, "Where I'm Bound," Allen B. Ballard demonstrates an uncanny ability to virtually create life. His characters leap off the pages, enabling the reader to observe them firsthand as they encounter crisis after crisis in this suspense-packed Civil War drama. The author demonstrates also an unceptionally well-tuned ear for dialect; his language at times reaches poetic stages. The logical next step for Sgt. Joe Duckett, Zenobia, Major Richard Kenworthy and others is the "big screen." Millions of Americans then will be able to join readers in appreciating this exciting book, and what Allen B. Ballard has to offer is boundless.