Today I am reviewing books that in some way tie in to the commemoration of September 11th. I have chosen this novel because it tells the history of our country, some of the roots that hold up the tall and towering tree that America has become.
Another volume in the Refiner’s Fire series by Lynn Austin, “A Light to My Path” is the first novel I read by her, and I was completely swept away by her use of the written word, her depth of research, and her ability to tell a story in such a way that you feel as though you’re there. This novel tells the story of Anna, a slave girl who was brought up as the literal pet of the master’s daughter, who liked it when Anna would meow and purr. She was taken into the master’s house for the sole amusement of her high-spirited little mistress, who changed her name to “Kitty” and never would call her by her real name. Soon Anna forgets she ever was really Anna, and begins to see herself as Kitty, good only to serve her mistress and see to her every need. Those needs become more and more demanding as time goes on, and Kitty loses all sense of herself.
Grady grows up on a different plantation, deeply loved by his mother and happy. But his master decides to sell him one day, just a little boy, and he becomes acquainted with the harsher side of slave life. He eventually ends up as the right-man to a cruel slave trader, commanded to do this work he hates with every fiber of his being, but not being able to escape. Deep down, he remembers his mother, and remembers that he is a person, not an animal, and not garbage. He is a man and deserves to be treated like one.
When he crosses paths with Kitty, he is immediately taken with her, but he can’t stand how she has lost all of her self-respect in servitude. Doesn’t she know that she is a woman of her own, with a mind and heart and free will of her own? But Kitty doesn’t know that. She hasn’t even found the voice to assert the use of her real name. When she tells Grady that her name is really Anna, he starts calling her that right away, and will not use her derogatory slave name.
Finally the chance comes for Grady to escape, and he wants to take Anna with him, but she’s scared. She’s never known life away from the plantation, and she’s not sure she has what it takes to survive on the outside. But Grady believes in her. Is that enough?
There are some difficult themes in this book as the author explores the life of a slave during the Civil War. What’s important to realize, though, is that this is based on fact, and we need to realize what they went through and how they were treated. I think Austin did a fabulous job in her telling of this story, and I strongly recommend it.
(This book was published by Bethany House in 2004)
