Red Sky Over America Book Review

I was a little confused over the summary of the book whether I was going to like this book but I took a chance on Red Sky Over America (Ladies of Oberlin) (Volume 1) by Tamera Lynn Kraft.  It is a historical fiction book about the reality of living in the south with slaves.  It was an interesting and entertaining read that kept me on the edge of my seat. 

William and America confront evil, but will it costs them everything?

In 1857, America, the daughter of a slave owner, is an abolitionist and a student at Oberlin College, a school known for its radical ideas. America goes home to Kentucky during school break to confront her father about freeing his slaves.  America's classmate, William, goes to Kentucky to preach abolition to churches that condone slavery. America and William find themselves in the center of the approaching storm sweeping the nation and may not make it home to Ohio or live through the struggle.

I looked at the description of this book and I thought I want to read it, nope don't like historical fiction, but I think that I might like this one.  I decided to stop my internal fighting and try it out.  I thought it was a well written book about the reality of living with slaves and having to change your whole way of life versus the evils of slavery and abolishing it.  It was interesting to see it from a different perspective because I am sure that everyone would say that slavery was a horrible act and that slave owners were evil but looking back gives us a different vision then those in the middle of the time who were barely surviving and the slaves were something that they paid more money for then most of their property so they had to sell them or use them for farming and other labor in order to make ends meet.  It was amazing to see America go home to Kentucky from her college education to spend a break with her family and realize that the ideas that she thought were easy were a lot harder to manage in practicality.  That the women that raised her and loved her through her childhood was a family slave and she didn't get the same privileges because of this fact but there was nothing America could do about it.  William came from an abolitionist background where both his parents fought against slavery and he never knew the southern life with slaves.  He quickly passed judgement on America for her life and her fathers choices without understand all that it entails.  It was great to read the book and see the changes in both America and William and all the hardships that they go through with their beliefs.  I hope that you check out this book and see for yourself all the amazing things that happened in this book.  I don't think that you would believe it if I told you.  I hope that you enjoy it as much as I have while reading it!!

**I was provided a copy of this book for my review but all opinions here are honest and my own.