The Resurrection of Nat Turner, Part 1: The Witnesses: A Novel

Sharon Ewell Foster has written a memorable novel, The Resurrection of Nat Turner, Part One: The Witnesses, based on the true character, Nat Turner (1800-1831), a slave born on a Virginia plantation.Nat Turner’s mother, enslaved after being kidnaped from her home in Ethopia, was raped by her master, Benjamin Turner, resulting in the birth of her son. Nat was much loved by his mother who often spoke about his upper-class African heritage. Benjamin Turner allowed Nat to be instructed in reading, writing, and religion. He was an exceptional student, to the dismay of other slave owners, fearing an educated slave could cause trouble.And trouble he caused. Nat Turner became a preacher who claimed he had been chosen by God to lead slaves from bondage.The novel goes into some detail about the kidnapping of Africans, bringing them to America to be sold to land owners as laborers. Ill treated, often without proper clothing for the cold Virginia winters, nor given adequate food, the plight of a slave was dismal. Punishments, often undeserved, were harsh. Families were often separated for profit.At first Nat Turner tried talking to various people about the injustices of slavery, claiming it was against God’s will. When that failed, he led an uprising that left over fifty white people dead. The resulting trials were a mockery of the law with unsubstantiated testimonials, unreliable witnesses, and death to many innocent slaves whose execution actually brought profit to their owners. Nat Turner’s rebellion brought nationwide attention to slavery and fueled abolitionists’ cause.The Resurrection of Nat Turner discusses the injustice and horror of slavery. The novel is quite graphic and at times relentlessly grim. The cruelty and bigotry of people who considered themselves Christians was troubling. The novel, though at times dark, is obviously well researched. I enjoyed Sharon Ewell Foster’s writing style and appreciated seeing another view of African religion and its parallels to what we call Christianity.This novel’s sequel, The Resurrection of Nat Turner, Part Two: The Testimony, reveals the story of Nat Turner through his own eyes.For another view of our nation’s history, read The Resurrection of Nat Turner, Part One: The Witness. It’s stark frankness is enlightening and answers questions about attitudes, slavery, and hardships of the period.

Don't pick up this book unless you're prepared to rub your nose into one of the darkest chapters in American history on almost every page. I've enjoyed reading Sharon Ewell Foster before and have read most of her fiction, enjoying the humor, the insights into black American culture, the historical background, so I was not expecting a narrative so relentlessly grim. Nevertheless, the story was gripping and I would not allow myself to quit before reaching the bitter end. (It did not help that I was trying to recover from the stomach flu the day I read what happened to Nat Turner's body after he was hanged. ) I grew up in white America in the midwest and was only vaguely aware of race as an issue until I was coming of age during the 60's and found myself shocked and repulsed by the extent of bigotry in this country, a sensitivity that has never left me. So I was quite surprised at what a difficult read this book was for me. I think the ugliest and most sickening part was the depraved and horrifyingly cruel attitudes and behavior of southern whites, even clergy, who nevertheless saw themselves as good, Christian people. The total subversion of the judicial process among the powers-that-be, and the mob mentality of those who hung out at the local still were only a little less troubling. I don't know if I'm up for part 2, but will probably end up reading it; I'm hoping it will cover the end of slavery and be a bit more upbeat? On a brighter note, this novel has piqued my interest in a new area: the Great Church that existed throughout Africa and the Middle East, particularly in Ethiopia, before Catholicism came to dominate the scene. The concept that some of the slaves may have come to the New World with a truer, deeper, older and more authentic Christian faith than their white masters ever imagined is an intriguing twist on history! I have to give this book 5 stars, but if you decide to read it, don't expect light entertainment; there isn't any. I keep wanting to ask the author, after so many months or researching and writing this material, "are you OK?"

You will read "The Resurrection of Nat Turner, Part One: The Witnesses," by Sharon Ewell Foster with the same awful fascination one gawks at auto accidents on the freeway. "The Resurrection" will also excite the same horror that bad accidents do. One can only shudder at the degree of man's degeneracy revealed in author Foster's novel.This story told in Part One is reserved for descriptions of particular witnesses both good and evil. This talented "show" not "tell" writer leads the reader to feel present on the scene; you are there in the middle of the action, a participant in these sadistic acts upon the innocent captives, then enslaved in the American south. At times, the atrocities carried out in these pages are almost too terrible to continue reading. This book doesn't neglect anything, the blood and gore, the beheadings and hangings, the reader experiences it all.Neither does "The Resurrection of Nat Turner, Part One" neglect the sexual sadism that also sometimes played a role in the mistreatment of black people in slavery.Yet another fascinating aspect of author Fosters' research and writing is the portrait of the social classes, rich and poor, slaveholding and not, and the place of slavery in their lives. In this, too, the evil of the courts, the wildly corrupt judicial system is spellbinding, if disgusting, to see.For all readers interested in American history, "The Resurrection of Nat Turner, Part One: The Witnesses" is a MUST read. This book will leave you thinking for a very long time after you've finished it. Sometimes we believe 150 years is not such a long time for forgiveness after all.