Beth Kanell's Winds of Freedom series of historical novels, set in North Danville, has a second title now: "This Ardent Flame." Meet the author and hear more about the book at the Brainerd Memorial Library in North Danville on Thursday October 13 at 7 pm.
It's 1852 and already there are rumors that the North versus South conflict over trade, government, and slavery will lead to a War Between the States. But other matters absorb the attention of 17-year-old Alice Sanborn: whether Abolitionist activist Solomon McBride is coming back to the village to court her, and why she's never before known about Caroline Clark, daughter of the neighbors. Caroline's deaf, and as the two young women struggle to communicate, they take part in a local book group that's reading the stunning new book by another New Englander: "Uncle Tom's Cabin," by Harriet Beecher Stowe. The book's explosive and emotional revelation of enslavement and one's Christian duty will light the long fuse of the Civil War.
Alice isn't waiting until then for action. She needs to assist neighbors at risk, rescue a horse, and help protect the Black men traveling with her brothers—Africans who've never been enslaved and who are vital to Vermont's ongoing economic development.
Come discover the local side of American history in this vital historical novel.