The Self-Liberation of Parson Sykes: Enslavement in Southampton County, Virginia

by David J Mason

Overview

The Self-Liberation of Parson Sykes is a documentary novel based on a true story and actual events and was drawn from a variety of historic sources, including published government materials and family chronicles. A trilogy, the story profiles Private Parson Sykes' evolution from enslavement in Southampton County, Virginia, followed by his enlistment into the Union Army, and culminating with his emancipation and return to the county. The initial part subtitled, Enslavement in Southampton County Virginia, of the trilogy, takes place in 1864 near the end of the American Civil War on the slave-holding Jacob Williams' middle class family farm in Southampton County Virginia. During the 1831 Southampton Insurrection, the farm came under attack by Nat Turner and his insurgents, which haunts Jacob. Before the Civil War started, Parson began discussing human rights and the political implications of the abolition of slavery with his two brothers. In the book, Parson and Jacob Williams are faced at opposite ends of the disputed points over the moral issue of slavery and secession, a political decision that led directly to war. In December 1864, he planned to liberate himself by running away from Jacob Williams' farm and following an eastward path along the Seaboard and Roanoke Railroad to reach Norfolk, Virginia, which was a Union occupied city. Upon reaching Norfolk and in the hands of Union troops, Parson had liberated himself from bondage. The Self-Liberation of Parson Sykes also functions to draw attention to the important role Black soldiers and their White officers played during the Civil War as members of United States Colored Troops (USCT). Though less heralded, the USCT regiments were the precursors to Black army units famously nicknamed as the Buffalo Soldiers., Smoked Yankees, the Harlem Hell Fighters, Tuskegee Airmen, and the Red Ball Express.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780999133118
Publisher:	Hmg Epublishing LLC
Publication date:	09/30/2022
Pages:	232
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.53(d)
Age Range:	14 - 18 Years

Editorial Reviews

Reviewed by Essien Asian for Readers' Favorite - 5 Stars

The American Civil War period was a turning point for interracial relationships in American history. It set in motion the emancipation of slaves and the beginning of the subsequent struggle for equal rights for all Americans, irrespective of skin color. Parson Sykes, a slave resident in Southampton County, Virginia, at the time, uses his self-taught survival skills coupled with the lessons learned from previous slave rebellions and escape attempts, both successful and unsuccessful, to plan his escape from his ruthless owner, Jacob Williams. The Self-Liberation of Parson Sykes by David J. Mason is an intimate story of the factors he had to consider in his daring escape plan and the contingencies he set up in the event of capture and almost certain death during those dangerous years.

The Self-Liberation of Parson Sykes is a work of historical fiction. The Civil War era theme is fascinating as a lot of information concerning the lives of the enslaved and the slave owners is readily available but I daresay not quite like this one. The attention to detail is impressive and following Parson Sykes as he plans his great escape is riveting. David J. Mason did a thorough job on the backstory for the primary character while dove-tailing it smoothly into key historic moments. There is some repetition of details as you read and in one instance it felt like deja vu but it did not affect my understanding of the story. The author does a marvelous job with The Self-Liberation of Parson Sykes, a historical fiction masterpiece that students of history can learn a lot from it.

Reviewed by Astrid Iustulin for Readers' Favorite: 5 Stars

The Self-Liberation of Parson Sykes by David J. Mason is a novel based on the true story of his great-grandfather. Parson Sykes lived in the 19th century in Southampton Country, Virginia, and was born into slavery. Yet, he had a clear vision of his future and what he wanted to achieve in his life - freedom. In 1864, during the Civil War, Parson decided to act and run away with his brothers. The Sykes enrolled in the Union Army, where they discovered that there, too, they had to face prejudice and discrimination against Black soldiers. Mason tells the story of his ancestor in detail and, in addition to giving information about him, offers the reader a detailed historical reconstruction of his time.

The Self-Liberation of Parson Sykes is a splendid novel that, in many ways, comes very close to a historical study. David J. Mason offers the reader a detailed story and a lot of food for thought. Above all, he highlighted his great-grandfather's thirst for freedom very well, making him an outstanding, charismatic character. Moreover, Mason depicts a precise picture of people and events. He represents very well the mentality of Parson's owner, Jacob Williams, and sheds light on the contribution of the Black soldiers to the war. I am convinced that this book will appeal to all readers who love history and are particularly interested in the Civil War and the abolition of slavery. This story will allow them to retrace some of those events following the protagonist's journey to freedom.

From the Publisher

2023-09-23
In Mason’s historical novel, a young enslaved man escapes to join the Union army during the Civil War.

In this impassioned and historically grounded book, the author draws on both research and family oral tradition to recount the experiences of his ancestor, Parson Sykes. After researching and planning their escape, in 1864 Parson and his two brothers leave the Virginia plantation where they have spent their lives, elude pursuers and slave-catchers, and make their way to a Union army camp, where they enlist in one of the recently formed Black regiments and join in the fighting until the war’s conclusion. Parson’s decision to liberate himself and his brothers is born of an awareness that being enslaved is an abhorrent condition and a fortuitous set of circumstances (he is literate, and a part-time job at the local railroad station gives him access to outside news and information about the wider world) that allow him to move from intention to action. The book establishes the historical context for Parson’s experience of enslavement shortly before the Civil War by connecting it to local history, as he and his family lived in the region of Virginia where, a generation earlier, Nat Turner had led an uprising that terrified white enslavers and solidified their commitment to maintaining the practice of slavery. The author also provides a detailed explanation of how the United States Colored Troops were established and how they fit into the military and racial hierarchy of the North. The book, the first in a planned trilogy about Parson, offers an insightful and informative look at a crucial piece of history through the experience of a single person. Mason presents the book as a novel, but readers are likely to experience the book more as a biographical or historical work than as a piece of fiction. The narrative centers documentary evidence and historical context as much as plot, and there is no dialogue. The characters’ actions are generally described rather than dramatized (“Parson and his brothers devised passive resistance by damaging equipment, working slowly, and keeping their human rights and religious beliefs alive”). While the book is effective as a history, as a novel it has its shortcomings.

This family-inspired history tells a compelling story while straddling genres.

Kirkus Reviews