Title: Firsthand

Author: A’Dreana Anderson

Publisher: Joyfully Unbound Publishing

Published: July 7, 2024

Pages: 332 pages

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In Firsthand, Richard McLeary owns over seven hundred acres, the third largest Plantation in Chatham County. The land was given to him by his father-in-law on the condition that he marry his daughter and treat her well. However, Richard is arrogant and seeks the approval of other wealthy planters. He boasts as if his land cannot be stripped from him and violently mistreats the enslaved people working his plantation.

In just the first few chapters, we are witnesses to his brutality which includes the death of an enslaved man defending another. In this haunting and poignant historical fantasy, debut author A’Dreana Anderson is compelling in her telling of slavery to such an extent that it felt like Richard had written this story from his own personal account. I can see a racist white man who pretends he is wealthier than he actually is clearly in my mind. There are also some historical accuracies I appreciated.

When visiting the Slave Market, the auctioneer presented an enslaved woman who was pregnant. Richard frowns and decides not to bid on her. While enslavers eventually valued women of childbearing age, this was not always the case. Before 1808 and the abolition of the slave trade, many slave owners discouraged enslaved women from reproducing. They considered the infants to be time-consuming and took too much time away from the women working. It wasn’t until after 1808 when slave owners could no longer depend on the domestic supply of enslaved laborers from the trade, that they sought women who could reproduce and had already given birth to healthy children.

The story’s turning point occurs when Richard, his son Henry, and his overseer James head to the Oglethorpe’s Racecourse Slave Market outside of Savannah to replace the enslaved people he murdered. He bids on Nini, a strong, gorgeous Black mute woman who captures his eye so much that he spends $2,500 for her. He immediately lusts after her and attempts to beat her into obedience. However, Nini refuses to comply, which turns him on even more. There is something about her eyes, and Richard is going to find out the hard way when he wakes up to realize he has been condemned to live as a mute, enslaved Black man.

Some graphic scenes might be too much for some readers, though, and some of the descriptions, although well-written, slowed the story just a bit. (Richard sometimes talked too much for me.) However, this was not to the extent that it destroyed the overall reading experience.

Ratings

• Plot Movement / Strength: 4/5
• Entertainment Factor: 4/5
• Characterization: 5/5
• Authenticity / Believable: 4/5
• Thought Provoking: 5/5
  

Overall: 4/5

Firsthand is Available Now on Amazon!

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