Memoirs of a Slave

MEMOIRS OF A SLAVE

By Darrow (D.A.) Fowler

When it comes to certain topics, be they fiction or nonfiction, the same topic can be covered by many authors and each story will have a different flavor. With the topic of slavery, this is no different. Darrow (D.A.) Fowler’s novel Memoirs of a Slave brings an entirely different dimension to the narrative of this, our history.

Main character Mary Lou’s story begins like a film noir movie, told after her death and then doing a flashback into her life, starting in 1836 with her birth into a slave family on a plantation in Georgia. A faith-filled Christian family, Mary Lou’s family lived in a shack in the slave quarters, working in the fields, and attending church on Sundays. As a young girl, an event occurred that changed the course of her life—she was struck by lightning, which went through her and into the ground. Unconscious for three months, she survived. However, she received the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit, which included such manifestations as healing powers, the stigmata, and the resurrection of the slave master’s boy from the dead.

Her gifts garnered her a place as a cook in the big house. Staying in God’s will, people both Black and white witnessed her power at the plantations she worked at, and they believed. One of her mistresses, Mrs. Burke, insisted that Mary Lou have a church wedding with her future husband Bo upon witnessing the Holy Spirit as Mary Lou preached. At the same time, there were demons about, who saw her power as a threat and plotted to end her life.

In her quest for freedom, a pregnant Mary Lou, Bo, and her friends find sanctuary at stations along the Underground Railroad and in the form of Barak, Raphael, and Jophkiel. They are angels in human form whom God sent to protect them on their journey north. What will be the price they pay for freedom? How will the power of the Holy Spirit manifest against the evil forces that would keep them in bondage?

Fowler’s narrative of antebellum slavery as spiritual warfare is powerful and vivid. He portrays envy, jealousy, greed, and hate as demons lying in wait to take over human souls. Though a man such as Rev. Cole wears a clerical collar, his heart is desperately wicked. As demons go, the prince of Egypt is the worst of the lot. On God’s side, on the other hand, we have Barak, Raphael, Jophkiel, and the Archangel Michael, who step up to the plate, ready for battle. And there were whites, such as Rev. and Mrs. Davis, who opposed slavery and used their plantation to work undercover as conductors for the Underground Railroad.

Fowler’s novel is engaging, compelling, inspiring, and empowering. I have no doubt that readers will recognize the scriptural texts interwoven through the novel that sustained our people during those dangerous times unto today.

Memoirs of a Slave is available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and the Minnesota Black Authors Expo website (www.mnblackauthorsexpo.com).

Thank you, D.A., for writing this story and taking the context of slavery to a new level. Representation matters!