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Black River: An Account of Christmas Preacher, A Slave Freed
A battle between an ageless mermaid-queen and a resurrected ancestor arises over the life of an enslaved African.
A slaveholder, amidst unreliable circumstances, adopt new Quaker doctrines and set this slave free.
Should the African make Kentucky home? Should he nurture the ambition to levitate back to his village in Oli'doma?
Black rivers are encountered in various places - in supernatural realms, in the heart of Africa and, in the meadow lands of America.
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Equal parts myth and ground, Black River is Myles Ojabo’s impressive debut... An outstanding read for those who relish complex, thoughtful, entertaining and pertinent stories. Black River is an amazing book that works on many levels. If you want to broaden your understanding of the African mindscape, read this.—Clare Rhoden, Aurealis
A slaveholder, amidst unreliable circumstances, adopt new Quaker doctrines and set this slave free.
Should the African make Kentucky home? Should he nurture the ambition to levitate back to his village in Oli'doma?
Black rivers are encountered in various places - in supernatural realms, in the heart of Africa and, in the meadow lands of America.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Equal parts myth and ground, Black River is Myles Ojabo’s impressive debut... An outstanding read for those who relish complex, thoughtful, entertaining and pertinent stories. Black River is an amazing book that works on many levels. If you want to broaden your understanding of the African mindscape, read this.—Clare Rhoden, Aurealis
277 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 12, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
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November 13, 2019I have just finished reading the novel, "Black River-An Account of Christmas Preacher, A Slave Freed", & I must confess that apart from Things Fall Apart, no other novel has enjoyed the type of devotion I put into reading it.
Myles Ojabo tells the familiar story of slavery from a new perspective that draws that horrible experience closer home. In imbuing his main character, Christmas (Ochigbo), with the power to travel back & forth in time & space to narrate the story of his captivity & his desire to return to his Opialu community in Oli'doma, the author demonstrates the depth of his understanding of the culture of his people & history of the slave trade.
I particularly love the ease with which he infuses Idoma, the language of his forebears into the story. The way he plays up the ability of Christmas to levitate is also an interesting reminder of the mystical powers blacks wielded in years gone by. What actually happened to those powers? I understand a conference on Witchcraft holds at UNN from the 26th of this month. Perhaps it will come up with answers.
However, the flood of sorrow that sweeps all through the pages of the book could have been dotted with a few positives. If, for instance, Christmas reunites with his only child, Ijeyi, even for a brief moment before his death, it would have been a fitting satisfaction of a father's longing.
In Black River, I rediscovered the admonition of my literature teacher in college that to become a good creative writer, you must read as many creative writings as you can. Black River is one such great creative work.
Myles Ojabo tells the familiar story of slavery from a new perspective that draws that horrible experience closer home. In imbuing his main character, Christmas (Ochigbo), with the power to travel back & forth in time & space to narrate the story of his captivity & his desire to return to his Opialu community in Oli'doma, the author demonstrates the depth of his understanding of the culture of his people & history of the slave trade.
I particularly love the ease with which he infuses Idoma, the language of his forebears into the story. The way he plays up the ability of Christmas to levitate is also an interesting reminder of the mystical powers blacks wielded in years gone by. What actually happened to those powers? I understand a conference on Witchcraft holds at UNN from the 26th of this month. Perhaps it will come up with answers.
However, the flood of sorrow that sweeps all through the pages of the book could have been dotted with a few positives. If, for instance, Christmas reunites with his only child, Ijeyi, even for a brief moment before his death, it would have been a fitting satisfaction of a father's longing.
In Black River, I rediscovered the admonition of my literature teacher in college that to become a good creative writer, you must read as many creative writings as you can. Black River is one such great creative work.
August 3, 2019
This book highlights pivotal aspects of Christmas's (A freed slave: Ochigbo) life.
It is very interesting the escapades he had in the spirit realm (he could transform into a Dog and almost every element of his choice)
Through this story, you will yet a again experience the horror that is slavery.
Christmas sold into slavery by his very uncle is catapulted into a world full of hate, evil, hard labor and bondage.
At the end, I agreed with Christmas.... Antonia, Esther, Black John, Moses, Nedi were not horrible people. What made them horrible was slavery!
May we never experience it again!
This was an interesting read, It was really captivating I couldn't drop the book until I completed it.
It is very interesting the escapades he had in the spirit realm (he could transform into a Dog and almost every element of his choice)
Through this story, you will yet a again experience the horror that is slavery.
Christmas sold into slavery by his very uncle is catapulted into a world full of hate, evil, hard labor and bondage.
At the end, I agreed with Christmas.... Antonia, Esther, Black John, Moses, Nedi were not horrible people. What made them horrible was slavery!
May we never experience it again!
This was an interesting read, It was really captivating I couldn't drop the book until I completed it.
March 24, 2019
Myles Ojabo, in Black River... takes me on a journey across times, places and ages. I felt a connection to my roots from the origin of the Idoma nation from time past and journeying into the future.
The strength embodied in Ochigbo (Christmas) although torn between his Ancestor Spirit and the Powerful Mermaid shows the constant struggle of man and how uncertain life can sometimes be.
I'd recommend this book for it's pulsating movements from the black rivers of Kentucky to Opialu, the quest for freedom, the pains of lose, and joy of finding peace.
The strength embodied in Ochigbo (Christmas) although torn between his Ancestor Spirit and the Powerful Mermaid shows the constant struggle of man and how uncertain life can sometimes be.
I'd recommend this book for it's pulsating movements from the black rivers of Kentucky to Opialu, the quest for freedom, the pains of lose, and joy of finding peace.
March 28, 2019
Black River is such a captivating work of supernatural realism that keeps you glued to its pages for hours on end. The writer easily switches from reality into the 3rd dimension, the future and the past. This work encapsulates the history of African and American slavery in a way that is appreciable to the current generation of readers. I will read this work over and over again.
June 25, 2019
An amazing book for anyone who wants to understand more about the slave trade and also about African beliefs. I couldn't put this book down. Much of it was new to me, but it made a kind of everlasting sense. That mermaid goddess of the black rivers must always have existed!
March 28, 2019
I was going to wait till I finished the book but I can’t
Myles has managed to induce in me a paying interest into African fantasy, captivating characters and events. Slavery shown in the perception of the slaves and the perception of the capturers
I have learnt so much from Myles’s in-depth knowledge of slavery, and yet there is also love and passion jealousy hatred that he has woven in this book.
Can’t wait for your next one Mr Ojabo
Myles has managed to induce in me a paying interest into African fantasy, captivating characters and events. Slavery shown in the perception of the slaves and the perception of the capturers
I have learnt so much from Myles’s in-depth knowledge of slavery, and yet there is also love and passion jealousy hatred that he has woven in this book.
Can’t wait for your next one Mr Ojabo
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews