Robert Morgan is one of our great literary stylists. His latest novel, "Chasing the North Star," is the story of a slave who escapes from his life of servitude in South Carolina in 1850. Jonah Williams is young and somewhat innocent as he heads north with the hope of reaching Canada and freedom. Along the way he encounters another slave named Angel in North Carolina.
Angel decides that she wants to be free too so she begins following Jonah. Jonah has one thing on his mind, freedom, and whenever Angel catches up with Jonah he considers her to be an impediment to his attempt to escape from the region. He ditches her once. Twice. Three times. Undeterred, Angel is persistent and she just keeps finding Jonah again as they continue to head north. Sometimes together. Sometimes not.
This is a beautifully told story that gives readers the sense of what it might have been like to have been living in constant fear for months over hundreds of miles as at any moment Jonah could be apprehended and returned to the plantation where he had once been held in captivity. Robert Morgan is a writer who captivates his readers. He gives a lovely interview here about his work, his origins, and his broad interests.
The Book Nook on WYSO is made possible by five local library systems in southwest Ohio: the Greene County Public Library, Washington-Centerville Public Library, MidPointe Library System, Clark County Public Library and the Dayton Metro Library.
