Those the Sun Has Loved

by Rose L. Jourdain

THE CLAVIERS WERE NOT JUST ANY BLACK FAMILY. THEY WERE A PROUD, FREEBORN DYNASTY FOUNDED BY A ONETIME PIRATE FROM FAR-OFF SURINAM WHO CAME TO NEW BEDFORD AS A YOUNG MAN WITH A DARING MISSION AND STAYED TO BUILD A SHIPPING FLEET THAT CARRIED FOOD AND GUNS TO GEORGE WASHINGTON'S TROOPS. IT IS A LEGACY OF COURAGE AND ACCOMPLISHMENT THAT JACQUES CLAVIER PASSES ON TO HIS CHILDREN AND IN EVERY GENERATION IT IS THEIR DESTINY TO DO BATTLE IN THE GREAT STRUGGLES OF AMERICAN HISTORY. JACQUE'S SON BECOMES AN ABOLITIONIST CRUSADER: HIS GRANDSONS FIGHT WITH A BLACK DIVISION IN THE CIVIL WAR.

Genres: Fiction

504 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1978

Reviews

[Samuel Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I AM RE-READING THOSE THE SUN HAS LOVED. My old paperback copy is well worn, but I am enjoying it again after it sat quietly on my shelf for years, even survived the move from Maryland to Arizona five years ago.

The story is full of historical information, but still moves along. It even predicts the possibility of an African American President.

It identifies several of the classic American poets as anti-slavery activists and spokespersons. Who knew?

Well worth reading. Again.

[Peggy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful novel about a black dynasty founded by a free T-time pirate who built up a fishing fleet and follows his descendants thru the great struggles of our American history.

[Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb.

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the fictional story of a black man coming to America before the Revolutionary War and of his family and their hardships in white America. Real people are included in this story as they relate to the family. Their rise in stature is very interesting. But close to the end of the story, it seems the author needed to bring in every person she could think of to tell the reader how important they were to different events in America. Her original characters were rather lost to the story at that point. I found this book in my local library. It may be hard to find as it was published in 1978.

[Deanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite books. It is a family saga starting with the patriarch, Jacques Clavier, a freeborn black man from Surinam who founded a shipping empire. He and his family are intricately woven into the struggles of American history including the American Revolution, the Civil War and the Civil Rights movement. The family secrets culminate with a surprising resolution once again impacting American history. The premise and characters were different than most stories of black people in America. Would make a great movie :-)

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. A truly epic saga, which I always enjoy, but far too political for my liking.