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Giveaway: The Freedman - Black History Month special


Audiobook cover of The Freedman: Tales From a Revolution - North-Carolina. A pair of manacles hang in front of a brick wall.
To mark Black History Month, which runs throughout October in the UK, author Lars D.H. Hedbor is giving away 10 copies of The Freedman; a fascinating audiobook in his excellent Tales From a Revolution series.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book earlier in the year and urge anyone with an interest in the era to enter. Calabar's tale may be fictional but it evokes the experiences of many men, women, and children whose own stories have sadly been lost to history.

“The cost of liberty is less than the price of repression.” -W.E.B. Du Bois.

Good luck!

For a chance to win one of 10 UK copies of The Freedman, enter via the rafflecopter form below using Facebook or Email. 
This competition is being run by the author and is not affiliated with MLHT. We won't have any access to the details you submit and are not responsible for their management, storage, or use. Competition closes 30th October 2019.




~ ABOUT THE AUTHOR ~
Lars D. H. Hedbor

Colour photo author headshot of Lars D. H. Hedbor
What made the American Colonists turn their back on their King, and fight for independence? How were they different from us–and how were their hopes and fears familiar to our own hearts? These are the sorts of questions that Lars D. H. Hedbor thinks are important to ask in examining the American Revolution, and in the pages of his novels, he suggest some possible answers.

His first novel, The Prize, was published in 2011, followed by The Light in 2013, and The Smoke, The Declaration, and The Break in 2014; The Wind was published in 2015, The Darkness in 2016, The Path in 2017, and The Freedman in 2018.  The Declaration, The Light, and The Wind were released in audiobook in 2018, and The Freedman in 2019.

Hedbor's also written extensively about this era for the Journal of the American Revolution, and has appeared as a featured guest on an Emmy-nominated Discovery Network program, The American Revolution, which premiered nationally on the American Heroes Channel in late 2014. He has also appeared as a series expert on America: Fact vs. Fiction for Discovery Networks, and was a panellist at the Historical Novel Society’s 2017 North American Conference.

Hedbor is an amateur historian, linguist, brewer, fiddler, astronomer and baker. Professionally, he is a technologist, marketer, writer and father. His love of history drives his to share the excitement of understanding the events of long ago, and how those events touch us still today.





~ NARRATOR BIO ~
Shamaan Casey

I was born in 1996 and raised in Converse, TX. Growing up, I always watched a lot of animation, which gave me a deep appreciation for voice acting, which only grew as the years went on. Even from a young age, I had a voice that commanded the attention of others. Though not an attention seeker, I always noticed how heads would turn when I spoke, and I was often compared to James Earl Jones and Morgan Freeman, even in middle school. When I chose to pursue a career in culinary arts and work as a food salesman, everyday people would tell me that I should be in radio. With years of public speaking experience thanks to my religious ministry, I finally yielded to all of the advice I had received over the years and finally embraced getting into the world of voice-over by making audiobooks.

Now, I combine my vocal talents with my love of reading to help bring stories to life. When I’m not reading, I’m cooking, baking, or gaming. Whatever I’m doing, I’ve got a story to tell. 




~ MY REVIEW ~

First published to coincide with African American History Month, here's another look at my review of The Freedman and links to add it to your wishlist in case you aren't one of the ten lucky winners.

Audiobook cover of The Freedman: Tales From a Revolution - North-Carolina. A pair of manacles hang in front of a brick wall.The Freedman: Tales From a Revolution - North-Carolina by Lars D.H. Hedbor.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Duration: 5 hrs 19 mins.

The Freedman by Lars D. H. Hedbor is the story of 'Jupiter' Calabar, a former slave who was cast out from the plantation he had worked since childhood. Separated from his wife and infant daughter, Calabar is forced to find his way in the world as a freedman, with only six months grace before he must move on from the colony and make his way out into an America on the brink of revolution.

As a Brit, my knowledge of the American War of Independence is woefully limited. (I've never been able to bring myself to invest in the plight of people who could waste good tea like that...) So it is fair to say that this audiobook isn't my usual listening. I was drawn in by the fact that this story details the Revolution through the eyes of a former slave, a freedman, rather than a soldier or rebel. The impact of such a turbulent time in history on someone whose position in society was already so vulnerable intrigued me, but I prepared myself for it to be unflinchingly bleak. It was perhaps because of this preconception that I found the small moments of compassion so touching. Cooper's assistance in helping Calabar integrate into society as a freedman was touching given the rarity it would have been at the time. And when the milliner, Albright, gives Calabar his first hat - something that helps mark him out as a freedman rather than a runaway - that simple kindness is a braver, bolder gesture than any of the political posturing occurring in the background. The humanity these men demonstrate at a time of such burgeoning destruction was a light in the dark.

Calabar's lesson in politics and culture from Mr Albright helped me understand the wider context of the events, and the ways in which the motivations of the different sections of society at the time intersected. Because Calabar's ignorance so neatly mirrored my own, his education was just as enlightening for me.

I found this book much easier to listen to and far more engrossing than I had expected. I enjoy learning about historical events in both fiction and non-fiction, so I'd felt sure it would be interesting but was not prepared for the required concentration to feel so effortless. This is always a sign of a well paced, well plotted story, and a talented narrator.

Narrator Shamaan Casey has a rich, deep, voice with a fullness and complexity that suited this audiobook very well. Casey is pleasant to listen to and was able to retain my attention with his vivid portrayal of a cast of characters whose experience is so far removed from my own.

I'd recommend this audiobook to anyone with an interest in the American Revolution, and to those like myself who wished to learn more about the war and the history of slaves and freedmen in that period. Theirs are the voices we still do not hear with enough clarity, even today. I was very glad to have an opportunity to reflect upon their stories vicariously through Calabar's experience.

*I received this audiobook free of charge in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.


View on Audible.co.uk
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