Glory Over Everything by Kathleen Grissom

"I've heard Uncle Tom's Cabin read, and I tell you Mrs. Stowe's pen hasn't begun to paint what slavery is as I have seen it at the far South. I've seen de real thing, and I don't want to see it on no stage or in no theater."
             -Harriet Tubman

Another historical fiction, this time set in pre-Civil War U.S., Glory Over Everything is a sequel to The Kitchen House. It is the story of Jamie Pyke who, as a teenager, escapes a dangerous situation in Virginia and ends up in Philadelphia where he is aided by a former slave named Henry. Years later in 1830, he has become a well-respected silversmith known by the name of James Burton.

Most other major characters are African-American including Pan, Henry's son, who works for Burton, and Robert, another of Burton's servants who is loyal to a fault. Later the reader meets Sukey, a brave and compassionate soul reminiscent of Harriet Tubman.

The plot begins with a series of first-person narratives by James, Pan and Caroline, Burton's pregnant married lover. Each tells his/her own captivating story. When 12-year-old Pan goes missing and Henry finds out he's been kidnapped and taken south to be sold as a slave, he calls in a favor imploring James to go find him and bring him back home---a mission that James is compelled to take on although he is terrified.  In Part 3, Sukey is introduced as the 4th narrator and she becomes essential to the survival of our protagonist.

This is a fast-paced story with a gripping plot. Thankfully, the brutality and hideousness of slavery is offset by the bravery, faithfulness, compassion and love shown by the main characters. I found it a page-turner and will rate it a 5. It may remind you of Stolen Into Slavery, the True Story of Solomon Northrup, Free Black Man by Judith and Dennis Fradin. Solomon's story is also told in the film "Twelve Years a Slave," what I call a true-to-life horror story.
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Our Page Turners group met on Thursday. It happened to be George Washington's birthday so there was a patriotic theme with desserts featuring cherries and apples---all delish. Our group liked the book, giving it an average rating of 4.0. As always, the discussion was lively with much discussion centered around issues of race, both in the 1830's setting of the book and now. One question from the publisher that gave much food for thought was: 

GLORY OVER EVERYTHING confronts many serious questions of race and prejudice. Compare the state of race relations in the 19th century with those of the present day. To what extent does racial prejudice persist in our country? How does James’s anxiety as a biracial person passing as white compare to the concerns of a person of mixed race in America today? Consider the case of Rachel Dolezal, a white woman who claimed to be and passed as African-American.

All in our group are white and we agreed we would like to hear what people of color would have to say about the novel and in answer to the questions quoted above. We feel they would have a very different perspective.