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Freeman Leonard Jr Pitts Books

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Freeman Leonard Jr Pitts Books

As a fervent reader of Leonard Pitts' columns, I was intrigued regarding his newly published novel Freeman and downloaded it. Set in the immediate post-Civil War era in the South, it portrays the lives of Black and White characters in that era. I won't repeat the gist of the novel as this is described elsewhere. I place Freeman in the top three of the roughly 2,500 books I have read over the past ten years. The characters -- both Black and White -- are complex and each reveals determination to achieve mission as well as insecurities, weaknesses, and guilt. You'll find it hard to stop reading. I was so galvanized that what would probably be a 3 - 4 day read (with another book or two in the mix) turned out to be a one-day read. As my title indicates, the novel is wrenching emotionally throughout the entire book. Frankly, you do not laugh or smile except at rare intervals. Be prepared to tear up frequently. And, sad to say, behavior and prejudice depicted by Mr. Pitts in 1865 remain with us in 2012 disguised, perhaps, with a bit more "political correctness". Freeman is an outstanding book, easily earning five stars.


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Freeman Leonard Jr Pitts Books Reviews

This book was chosen for reading by my book club and at first I was not excited to read another fictional book about reconstruction and the plight of blacks after slavery. These reservations quickly were dissipated once I started reading Freeman. This is a wonderfully written book with brilliant command of the english language, lots of character development, and a nice love story or two woven in to the fabric of the pages. The author did sufficient research to stay true to the period and offers the reader with a glimpse into the challenges the ordinary man both black or white, northerner or southerner might encounter immediately following the devastation of the Civil War. I found that I was not able to put the book down, and for me that is rare and a real testament to the the storytelling capabilities of the author. I would highly recommend this book for a book club, or for the individual reader. It might also be used for a freshman College course but I think it is a little to much for a High School Advanced Placement course. The ending of the story was not what I expected and if I had the chance to speak with the author I would be interested in knowing why he ended it they way he did but again overall I thought it was a page turner.
I was raised in the Florida during the time when racism and prejudice was at its height. There were "colored and white" bathrooms and drinking fountains. Colored people were not allowed to be in "white" residential areas after 6pm. without a pass or they would be arrested.

I was 5 years old at the time. Little children don't see color unless taught. Both my parents worked and I was taken care of by a negro nanny. She had a young daughter who was my age and she would bring her with her to work. Being an only child, I was thrilled. We played together and my life was filled with laughter. My birthday was coming up and I wrote a list of guests and my play mate was on top of my list. When I showed my parents my lists, sadly my lessons in reality began. They both reacted my father was furious and shouted at me, "Absolutely not!" and stalked out of the room. My mother was more "diplomatic" and tried to explain why my friend couldn't come. I couldn't understand and I cried and begged that my she would be able to come. It didn't happen.

As the years passed there were many more incidents in which I realized my father was a bigot and my mother was an intellectual racist. How often I heard her say, "There will be a time when
integration will happen. We just have to be patient." Our fights were often and bitter.

I became a teacher in the south and many of my lessons that I taught my all white class centered around trying to teach them that they had the ability to resist what they had been taught. My attempts fell on deaf ears.

I moved to the north, married and began teaching in an inner city school. I took over for another teacher who had left in Feb. Finally, I felt like I would be able to put into practice what I believed.
I would like to say it was all roses. However, I kept making terrible mistakes, but all unintentional. A small example was when my 9th grade girls were discussing what color dresses they would wear. Blithely, I offered my opinion, " Why not wear white? The color would look great!" You can imagine their reaction.

Even though reading Mr Pitts book evoked visions of my own past, I thoroughly enjoyed his ability to vividly recreate a terrible time in our history. His characters were totally believeable.
I look forward to reading his next book.

Day after day I came home and cried. My husband implored me to quit. I refused and in September, I returned a lot wiser and taught my integrated classes again, i am glad to say that I had finally freed myself.
Freeman by Leonard Pitts is totally engrossing from beginning to end. It is an historical fiction book, set in the post Civil War era and deals with the power of love, the fulfillment of promises, and the obsessive need for forgiveness. It weaves the individual stories of Sam, Tilda, and Prudence into a majestic historical tale.

Sam, a former runaway slave, is compelled to return to the war-torn South in search of Tilda, the wife he left behind 15 years earlier in his quest for freedom. His search for Tilda is not only to recapture the love of his life, but to also obtain her forgiveness.

Meantime, Tilda is being forced by her former slave master, at gunpoint, to walk in search of a place where former slave owners are still fighting to maintain their previous way of life--the life to which they fiercely believe they are entitled to keep at all costs. Without hope of rescue, Tilda resigns herself to her place in life.

Prudence, a wealthy white Northern widow, sets out, against the advice of her Negro friend Bonnie, to establish a school for former slaves, thereby fulfilling her promise to her dying father.

These three people move through the dangerous times, facing innumerable obstacles and brutalities, yet not fully comprehending the realities and implications of the South's defeat upon its citizens.

Leonard Pitts' second novel is a beautifully written and unforgettable narrative, that is certain to propel him into superstardom with the likes of Toni Morrison, J. California Cooper, and Zora Neal Hurston.
As a fervent reader of Leonard Pitts' columns, I was intrigued regarding his newly published novel Freeman and downloaded it. Set in the immediate post-Civil War era in the South, it portrays the lives of Black and White characters in that era. I won't repeat the gist of the novel as this is described elsewhere. I place Freeman in the top three of the roughly 2,500 books I have read over the past ten years. The characters -- both Black and White -- are complex and each reveals determination to achieve mission as well as insecurities, weaknesses, and guilt. You'll find it hard to stop reading. I was so galvanized that what would probably be a 3 - 4 day read (with another book or two in the mix) turned out to be a one-day read. As my title indicates, the novel is wrenching emotionally throughout the entire book. Frankly, you do not laugh or smile except at rare intervals. Be prepared to tear up frequently. And, sad to say, behavior and prejudice depicted by Mr. Pitts in 1865 remain with us in 2012 disguised, perhaps, with a bit more "political correctness". Freeman is an outstanding book, easily earning five stars.