The Ancient Muleskinner

by Roy Simmons

If you let fear and pain get the upper hand, fear will soon become your master. A ranch hand with a dream. A muleskinner with a vision. A tale of the earliest efforts of America's black community to free itself from the shackles of slavery. Their quest for freedom . . . for a life beyond what their ancestors even dared to dream of. The Ancient Muleskinner chronicles a community's struggle to overcome fear and prejudice, and records the challenges posed at the turn of the twentieth century to provide for even the most basic human needs. With vast rural areas isolated from towns and cities, with no railroad access, and a distribution network serviced only by animal-drawn wagons, aspirations center around survival above all. Through the trials and tribulations of Ryan and Ralph, Simmons paints an unforgettable portrait of what it takes to be a free man, the responsibilities it entails and the joys it brings, fraught with uncertainties at a time when travel and education were luxuries, and even food was obtained only through determined endurance.

Paperback

First published August 5, 2002