The Fires of Jubilee

The Fires of Jubilee This book by Stephen B. Oates describes a sad and tragic story about a man named Nat Turner who was born into slavery and his fight to be free. Ironically, his willingness to do anything, even kill, to gain his freedom leads to his own demise. From the title of this book, “The Fires of Jubilee,” a reader can truly grasp the concept that there is trouble, chaos, and mayhem brewing in the month of August. This story was not only riveting, but also one that kept me on my heels for almost the entire time that I was reading it. Stephen B. Oates, a prize-winning author of thirteen books and more then seventy articles, is currently a professor of history at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Some of his best novels have been “With Malice Toward None: The Life of Abraham Lincoln,” “Let the Trumpet Sound: The Life of Martin Luther King. Jr.,” and “Rip Ford’s Texas.” His writing is riveting as well as courageous. His willingness to get to such length to capture the mind of the reader and hold them in suspense has earned him several awards throughout his lustrous career. Some of the awards that Oates has received are the Christopher Award and the Barondess/Lincoln Award of the New York Civil War Round Table. His work has gained worldwide notoriety and is currently translated in four different languages: French, German, Spanish, and Portuguese. “The Fires of Jubilee” took place in Southampton, Virginia and County Seat, Jerusalem during the 1800’s. The story takes shape during a time in which slavery was the norm, especially in the South. It describes the struggles and turmoil of one such slave named Nat Turner in his quest to gain his freedom. It tells the tale of a man who’s destiny was forever to be a slave and his quest to alter his destiny, which in the end leads to his tragic death. Born into slavery, Nat Turner was perhaps one exception to