Fragments of the Ark

The story opens with Mango, a riverboat pilot forced into service by the Confederate Navy, orchestrating a nighttime flight to freedom by impersonating the Captain of the Confederate gunboat and taking the slave crew and their families to freedom by surrendering the ship to the Union Navy. He becomes a war hero and serves with the Union eventually being promoted to Captain of the stolen ship. His adventures are shared and history is told with a colorful cast of characters-all of whom are virtually in the same situation but each individual deals uniquely with their emotions when human issues such as separation from family; reclamation of lost family; freedom from slavery; fear of recapture and return to slavery, the legacy of master/slave relationships, etc. surface throughout the novel. We also see Peter and the cast dealing with the confusion and unfairness of the Confederate and Union government's fluctuating policies and ordinances of the era. She really conveys the realism and anguish that the African Americans of the time must have felt as a result of the attitude and treatment toward black soldiers, Lincoln's positions regarding the slaves, and the politics of the antebellum South that severely disenfranchised former slaves.

Meriweather does not sugar-coat the atrocities of war and the inhumanity of slavery, instead she recounts documented history in such a way that the reader feels the fear that stems from the uncertainty, hatred, and anxiety of the slave character's environment. Laced with historical accounts, the novel substantiates the important role the black soldiers played in the Civil War and in American History. The reader also lifts from the pages the resolve and determination of an oppressed people--people who were tired of being abused, people who embraced freedom, people who were determined to prove their worth, people who sought justice and equality, and people who were willing to die to obtain it.


Worth every word   May 28, 2001
This novel should be read by more people. It was a great work of historical fiction that made my heart smile for the Africans working/fighting for freedom during the Civil War. Based on true events, this novel should make all Americans proud.


Excellent book   May 25, 1998
 2 out of 3 found this review helpful

I couldn't put the book down and I ended up finishing the book within a week from receiving it from this website. I really got a taste of how it was back during the American Revolution between the North and South. Also, how the slaves were treated and how they escaped from the South to become cadets and fight for peace. I give Louise Meriwether much luck in her future books, if any, and I'll look out for them so I can read them as well.


Exceptional and intriguing story.   June 18, 1997
I found this story captivating. It is rare that any story intriques me like this, but I literally coundn't put it down. An excellent title for student reports


Exceptional and intriguing story.   June 18, 1997
 0 out of 2 found this review helpful

I found this story captivating. It is rare that any story intriques me like this, but I literally coundn't put it down. An excellent title for student reports