A Free State

Brief Description: The author of City of Refuge returns with a startling and powerful novel of race, violence, and identity set on the eve of the Civil War. The year is 1855. Blackface minstrelsy is the most popular form of entertainment in a nation about to be torn apart by the battle over slavery. Henry Sims, a fugitive slave and a brilliant musician, has escaped to Philadelphia, where he earns money living by his wits and performing on the street. He is befriended by James Douglass, leader of a popular minstrel troupe struggling to compete with dozens of similar ensembles, who imagines that Henry s skill and magnetism might restore his troupe s sagging fortunes. The problem is that black and white performers are not allowed to appear together onstage. Together, the two concoct a masquerade to protect Henry s identity, and Henry creates a sensation in his first appearances with the troupe. Yet even as their plan begins to reverse the troupe s decline, a brutal slave hunter named Tull Burton has been employed by Henry s former master to track down the runaway and retrieve him, by any means necessary. Bursting with narrative tension and unforgettable characters, shot through with unexpected turns and insight, A Free State is a thrilling reimagining of the American story by a novelist at the height of his powers."Review Quotes: Advance Praise for A FREE STATE: This rich novel about minstrelsy, slavery, and the dream of escape shows that our demons and our angels haven t changed much. But the portrait of the struggle is so insightful that it becomes its own strong vision of hope. --Zachary Lazar, author of "I Pity the Poor Immigrant" and "Sway""Review Quotes: "This rich novel about minstrelsy, slavery, and the dream of escape shows that our demons and our angels haven't changed much. But the portrait of the struggle is so insightful that it becomes its own strong vision of hope."--Zachary Lazar, author of "I Pity the Poor Immigrant" and "Sway"Review Quotes: "["A Free State"] has great kinetic energy, a gripping central narrative, and a host of indelible characters. And, in the current age of identity politics, it speaks to the prevailing cultural obsession with 'authenticity' by exposing the fragility of that very notion. A hugely rewarding novel."--Monica Ali, author of "Brick Lane"Review Quotes: Advance Praise for A FREE STATE: "This rich novel about minstrelsy, slavery, and the dream of escape shows that our demons and our angels haven't changed much. But the portrait of the struggle is so insightful that it becomes its own strong vision of hope."--Zachary Lazar, author of "I Pity the Poor Immigrant" and "Sway"Review Quotes: ["A Free State"] has great kinetic energy, a gripping central narrative, and a host of indelible characters. And, in the current age of identity politics, it speaks to the prevailing cultural obsession with authenticity by exposing the fragility of that very notion. A hugely rewarding novel. --Monica Ali, author of "Brick Lane""Review Quotes: Once I d begun reading "A Free State," I couldn t leave my chair. It combines bite-your-nails tension with deeply felt evocations of the brutalities of slavery, the perplexities of racial masquerading and the transcendent joys of making music. At the end he executes a swerve so bold, it ll take your breath away. --David Gates"Review Quotes: A thoughtful examination of the intertwining of race and cultureas well as a truly scary portrait of a genuine psychopath. --"Kirkus Reviews""Publisher Marketing: The author of City of Refuge returns with a startling novel of race, violence, and identity. The year is 1855. Blackface minstrelsy is the most popular form of entertainment in a nation about to be torn apart by the battle over slavery. Henry Sims, a fugitive slave and a brilliant musician, has escaped to Philadelphia, where he lives by his wits and earns money performing on the street. He is befriended by James Douglass leader of the Virginia Harmonists, a minstrel troupe struggling to compete with dozens of similar ensembles who senses that Henry's skill and magnetism could restore his show's sagging fortunes. The problem is that black performers are not allowed to appear onstage, even in Philadelphia. Together the two concoct a dangerous masquerade to protect Henry's identity, and he creates a sensation in his first appearances with the Harmonists. Yet even as the troupe's fortunes begin to improve, a brutal slave hunter named Tull Burton has been employed by Henry's former master to track down the runaway and retrieve him, dead or alive. A Free State is both a riveting chase novel and a searing parable of liberty and its costs. Charged with narrative tension and unforgettable characters, A Free State is a thrilling work by a novelist at the height of his powers." Review Citations:

Kirkus Reviews 07/15/2015 (EAN 9780062284129, Hardcover)

Library Journal 08/01/2015 pg. 89 (EAN 9780062284129, Hardcover)

Publishers Weekly 08/31/2015 (EAN 9780062284129, Hardcover)

Contributor Bio:  Piazza, Tom Tom Piazza's writing on American music has appeared in the Sunday New York Times, The Atlantic Monthly, The New Republic, and The Village Voice. He is the author of The Guide to Classic Recorded Jazz (University of Iowa Press), which won the ASCAP-Deems Taylor award for music writing, and Blues and Trouble (St. Martin's Press), which won a James Michener award for fiction. He lives in New Orleans and is working on a novel.