The Knees of Gullah Island

Dwight Fryer takes you hook line and sinker to the Low country & life's complexities post slavery in Charleston. You visit events you read about in school intertwined with a family you come to know care about and share values and experiences. A great read to be shared. AME members will get an additional kick out of this and can use this as a tool for Black history projects. Although it's about a black family, it's an american tale.

Dwight Fryer has created a made-for-television mini-series bringing the Gullah-Geechie, African-American culture up from the Carolina low country marshes and into their respectful place in American history. At last, THE KNEES OF GULLAH ISLAND reveals all that was concealed by the illegal whiskey-making Hale family. This prequel to Fryer's book, "The Legend of Quito Road," takes place in Charleston, South Carolina where the former slave, Gillam Hale, caused his family to be sold and scattered as chattel slaves. This was due to his moral decision to end the Hale legacy of selling "moonshine" liquor which angered many white customers. The story unfolds decades later, when Gillam must suddenly choose between revisiting his shameful past of distilling illegal liquor or holding on to his new life remorsefully. When his son from his past life suddenly shows up, Gillam is ready to jump ship. However, if he abandons his second family for the first, will he end up totally alone? Can he survive facing the white men he took money from? Will Gillam return to distilling liquor to survive economically? The answers lie in his journey deep into the marshes. A journey that reveals characters using good and evil to uplift the Gullah Island with pride. The consequence of the two forces sparked a family reunion, but not without a series of confessions including just what made Gillam Hale's moonshine whiskey so tasty! All in all, Fryer uses literary growth and development to quilt a story of romance that stood the test of time, loyalty from a remote community, faith of a devoted son Gillam never knew, and forgiveness of former slave owners with a touch of Gullah cuisine. THE KNEES OF GULLAH ISLAND shows how distinct the island inhabitants really were! The story is remarkable with actual lingual cadency making it possible for readers to follow the story and understand how the Gullah-Geechie natives used wit and humor to buck the slave system. It is full of action and conspiracies! You will walk away from this story in amazement and with a renewed sense of pride and family values. Reviewed by Swaggie Coleman for The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

Have enjoyed following the Hale family in Mr. Fryer's books. Both books have been real eye-openers as far as the people, the places, and the events of that day. Am looking forward to learning more about this family, and what life was like... This is information we all need to know. I hope there's a third book soon. Mr. Fryer, Thank you!

In The Knees of Gullah Island, after the Civil War and during Reconstruction, Gillam Hale was born to free parents, and his life was untouched by slavery. Then he travels with his father to Virginia to minister to slaves, where he meets a beautiful, mulatto slave, Queen Esther. He wants desperately to purchase her. He finds that he can only financially afford to do this by distilling illicit whiskey, which is risky, illegal and against his family's wishes. Gillam's jealous white neighbors decide to something about the competition. They kidnap Gillam's family and scatter them to different plantations throughout the South. Gillam must escape from his new owners and find his lost loved ones. After many years of searching for his family, Gillam Hale realizes his many mistakes in life and that...life goes on and he now lives with his common-law wife, Rena, and their son. He refuses to marry Rena, because he is still in love with Queen Esther. A quietly strong woman, Queen Esther, finds herself in difficult circumstances--in slavery--a second time. Joseph, the youngest son of Gillam and Queen Esther, had to physically travel the south searching for his father. It has been a long, 13-year search of a family separated, and a son who longs to find his father and his past. In 1883, all of that changes when a tramp stumbles by Gillam Hale's house. The tramp turns out to be Joseph, his son by Queen Esther. He desperately wants to take his father back with him to Charleston, South Carolina to see his mother. Joseph has consumption and is sick--delaying the trip. This extra time allows Joseph and Gillam a chance to really get to know each other. But this is only part of the journey. The real journey begins when Gillam finds Queen Esther and her new life and new family. In this historical fiction series, Dwight weaves another wonderful story of one family's journey to freedom! Dwight creates a delightful group of down-to-earth, colorful and likeable characters, with whom the reader quickly grows an emotional attachment. His use of the Gullah language, along with the Gullah word translation at the beginning of the book, made for a vividly interesting story. I love the theme for this book, "Bent knees straighten crooked deeds." "The Knees of Gullah Island was a little bit of fiction, a little bit of truth and a lot of enjoyment!"

Dwight Fryer has create a saga of mystery, misfortune and the solid boundaries of the family bonds. You can feel the grit and the fragrant scent of the southern life as you delve into the Gullah tradition and the life of Gilliam and Queen Esther Hale. This is a compelling read, I could not put it down. I'm ready for the next part of the saga but I will savor the Knees of Gullah Island until Mr. Fryer's next book comes out. He is a master story teller.