This is book two of a continuing series of three books
The Ecstasy of Freedom books 1, 2 and 3

ALL THREE REVIEWS BY

Ellen Tanner Marsh, New York Times Best Selling Author

Sequels sometimes pale after reading the initial book, but here, in book two of the Ecstasy of Freedom, Hogue has done something revelatory. He's crafted a novel that not only stands on its own as a saga of the escaped slave Jasper and his journey to freedom, but a moving and indelible portrait of American history.

Book two begins with Jasper scouting for a wagon train bound for California. But since education is everything to Jasper, he studies with a school teacher, and even though he's still in love with Early Flower, the Indian maiden, he's soon falling head over heels for the teacher's lovely daughter, Julie, as well. But Julie, like everyone Jasper meets, doesn't know his true identity. She thinks he's an American Indian, and he's afraid to tell her the truth, for both their sakes. Richly atmospheric, Hogue's writing is so clear, so detailed that we feel we're right there in the wagon train with Jasper, with dust on our boots and hunger growling in our bellies, and unfriendly Indians on the horizon.

Much like the main character in Thomas Berger's Little Big Man, Jasper inhabits two worlds, but here it's an Indian and a runaway slave. But Hogue's not just interested in exploring both worlds, he's making a plea for tolerance and understanding. Filled with excitement and terror of moving into strange territory, Jasper's determination and nerve, coupled with his resolve never to forget the family he left behind, are real and stirring. Hogue's dipped his pen in American history, finding twists and turns that make this book a page turner as well as something new and surprising in historical fiction.

Book 2 in Paperback:
Book 2 in Electronic: