Before I Came

by Patti, Achy

Before I Came is a fictional love story that takes place in the 12th Century, in Bamako, Mali, West Africa. The story was inspired by the writer s two young children, Elyse and Earl and their conversation with one another after they attended a Black History Month assembly at their elementary school. The writer overhears her children referring to their history in the order of Slavery, Harriett Tubman and Martin Luther the King, Jr. Their conversation sets off an alarm in her, thus inspiring her to write a story about an African American story before the slave trade. The story begins in the 21st Century until the main character, Safarine, falls to sleep and dreams of her legacy in the 12th Century, through stories told to her by her grandmother. Before I Came illustrates the wealth of Africans in the early 1300s.

178 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Blogger at In Patti's Imagination.