It’s not often that we (well, I, anyway) get to see the process an author goes through to write a book. One of these years, I’m hoping to report on my own methods, but for now I have to be satisfied with living vicariously through others. I’ve had that opportunity over the past year or two as Andi Cumbo-Floyd generously shared her writing life as she struggled to create The Slaves Have Names: Ancestors of My Home. Through daily blog and Facebook posts, Andi gave her friends and followers a glimpse of what it was like to find the right words to say what she meant, search for an agent to represent her baby, make the decisions that go into self-publishing, and struggle to find a spot in the marketplace.
I supported Andi during her quest when she mounted a Kickstarter campaign to help fund researching the enslaved people who are the focus of her work. I also offered to help with getting the word out about her finished book. As a result, I was privileged to receive a copy of her book as soon as the electronic version was formatted. I just finished reading it on my Kindle, and am delighted to be able to share it with you.
Honestly, the finished work far exceeded my expectations. I’d had the opportunity a couple of times to read drafts of a chapter or two, and I was a little skeptical of how the final version would play out. How does one write about a person for whom nothing more is known than a name? Andi knows a bit more about some of her subjects, but not a whole lot. So, I admit I started The Slaves Have Names expecting to need to find something wonderful to say about it. I was so wrong.
While Andi may not have known a great deal about the enslaved men and women who built the Bremo plantations on which she was raised, she was nonetheless able to bring them to life by describing the times and places in which they lived, as well as by providing us images of what they might have been like as individuals interacting with their families. In a few cases, she was able to introduce us to still-living descendants of the slaves, and shared how her work has affected them.
Additionally, Andi included information about chattel slavery in the United States, and how the realities of that time limited her ability to find solid data on the people, particularly the black people. She shared her research processes, her travels and experiences as she searched out answers, and how the whole project affected her personally. Truly, it was fascinating.
Andi’s work was built on a need to ensure that the enslaved people who built her home were not forgotten forever. Indeed, the working title for her book had been You Will Not Be Forgotten. I believe she has met her goal, and I encourage you to help her keep the light of these amazing people alive. The Slaves Have Names: Ancestors of My Home is well worth your time and attention.
