Introduction
The Fires of Jubilee is a historical non-fictional genre book produced in 1975 and written by Stephen B. Oates. The author wrote the book with the soul intention of transporting his reader back to Nat’s time outlining the struggle that he went through, inviting the reader to suffer with Nat and at the same time be able to see the world of slavery as it was at the time. This paper will be seeking to bring the main theme of the book, as well as explaining the art of slavery through Nat’s eyes.
Overview
The main theme of the book is slave rebellion with over 150 pages of the book focusing on the events and violence of the slave rebellion that broke out, spearheaded by Nat Turner. The White Virginians convinced themselves that their slaves were not bullied and were very happy with their situation. But this was not true as they looked down upon their slaves. It is this event that prompted the slaves’ rebellion that will be forever remembered. The book also brings a series of events that intensified the forces of change that would later throw America into the bloodbath of the Civil War.
Review
I love how the author used Nat’s view to bring out the events of the rebellion. On first reading the first few pager of the book, I was not completely taken by it. But after reading 20 pages or so the book got the better of me. I could feel like I was part of the rebellion. Each and every time I read the book I feel as if I am right there with Nat, seeing the violence and blood firsthand. The author clearly did a lot of research on the subject. Just from reading the book we get more information about Turner than we initially knew. The book presents enough facts to the reader, and I could identify with the reasons why the rebellion was initiated in the first place. As soon as the rebellion starts, the author does well by giving moment by moment account of how the events shape up. The book relates well with classroom reading as it paints more picture on the experiences of slaves and their reasons for masterminding rebellions. This is a must read book for anyone that wants to know about the slave experiences in the south back in the 19th century.
Conclusion
The Fires of Jubilee is indeed a well-researched book that analytically presents the accounts of slavery in the south back in the 19th century. The book’s themes are developed through the main character Nat’s point of view that makes it is easy for the reader to identify with. I first read the book because of my history class, but it now ranks among my top three history favorite books.
