Dorey Whittaker

Treasure in a Tin Box Dorey Whittaker

Hannah was born into slavery in the year 1832 and eventually had three children. Having opinions, dreams, and goals, were dangerous traits for a slave. Exhibiting such willfulness would get you beaten or sold so Hannah did her best to drive these traits out of her children. Hannah never lived to experience a single day of freedom; but her three children did. Her son, Samuel, was nineteen, and her twin daughters, Pearl and Ruby, were just barely sixteen when they were emancipated. They had been dutiful children, obeying their momma in order to stay near her. But as freed people these same traits: setting goals, becoming self-reliant, and learning it is not only safe, but mandatory to dream of a better life, were now necessary if they were to succeed in this strange new world without their momma; but succeed they would, regardless of the difficulty. In my newest novel, TREASURE IN A TIN BOX, experience life as a slave on the Stewart Plantation. See life through Hannah's eyes, and cheer for Samuel, the boy who had to become a man too early. Suffer along with Hannah as you realize that her young daughter, Pearl, is a smart and opinionated girl. How do you break these traits in her without breaking the girl? And then there is sweet, kind, obedient little Ruby. How do you protect such innocence when you, yourself, have no power? This novel will take us on a one hundred-thirty year journey that will challenge our views of slavery, and will help us see just how hard it was for the generations that followed to shake off the deep seated fears and traditions that slavery instilled in those who experienced it. Family stories were carefully passed down in order to help the younger members understand what their family had experienced. Love, support, forgiveness, self-determination, and integrity became the hallmark of the Bascom family. The rich history of life after emancipation is revealed in the lives of these beloved characters. Join Tobias as he reviews the family history and reveals the amazing treasures in his tin box.