By Marie Chapian and Robert Sadler
Published at Bethany House
About the book
A Gritty, Raw Real-Life Tale That Will Both Shock and Inspire You
So many thoughts twirl in my head...I want to think back as far as I can remember--think on things I had long ago buried and let stay buried. There were things I never told anyone. Now is the time to tell it, though. Help me remember it, Lord, so I can tell it just the way it was.
Over fifty years after the Emancipation Proclamation, Robert Sadler was sold into slavery at the age of five--by his own father. Originally published in 1975, this is the no-holds-barred tale of those dark days, his quest for freedom, and the determination to serve others borne out of his experience. You won't forget this poignant true story of good triumphing over evil, of God's grace, and of an extraordinary life of ministry.
Who are Marie Chapian and Robert Sadler?
Marie Chapian is a Christian counselor and author or coauthor of more than thirty books, including the bestsellers Telling Yourself the Truth and Free to Be Thin. She founded Marie Chapian Ministries in 1982 to teach and equip the body of Christ. She lives in Southern California.
Robert Sadler (1911–1986) was born near Anderson, South Carolina, in 1911. He was sold into slavery at the age of five and escaped at fourteen. Eventually he moved to Ohio but traveled extensively sharing the gospel and ministering to others at every opportunity.
My Thoughts
This bibliography of the life of Robert Sadler is divided in three main parts – the Slavery, the freedom and the Ministry.
As you begin the reading of this book, you will discover how it came to be that Robert Sadler has been sold to slavery by his own father more than fifty years after the Emancipation Proclamation. Reading this, I am stunned to realized that for this father his own children didn’t mean anything. I mean who in their right mind will sell their kids to slavery. At the same time, I am not surprised as I know that slavery is still rampant in the 21st century and it sadden me… Rejection is the worst feeling and experiencing this at the age of 5 years old is simply heartbreaking. You will follow Robert as he grows on a plantation and experience his losses as well as his struggles in life. Eventually, he will leave the plantation and discover freedom.
In the freedom part, you continue to follow Robert as he gets reunited with his family and goes to school. His life is not an easy one but now at least he is free. As he becomes a man he also reconnect himself with other former slaves from the plantation where he was. Friends and family are all going through hard time during those years. In the end, Robert reconnect with God himself and decides to go in ministry.
In the last section of the book, you discover how God has provided in many ways for Robert to become a minister. With his gift of playing on a portable organ he was able to transform the lives of many people wherever he travelled.
The book is an interesting read but at times I had trouble with the way the conversations were written. The discussions between two people are not written as you usually read it in book but respect the way that African-Americans spoke back then. It is interesting to see on paper their way of speaking but at the same time I find it was slowing me down in my reading.
If you have a heart to help slaves around the world, I would recommend this book. Recently at our church, the youth have decided to stop speaking for 27 hours to raise money and help release slaves via the Not For Sale website. Apparently it takes 1000$ to help someone to get out of slavery. Our youth were able to raise 2500$ which can help 2.5 persons. All this was done before the Christmas season. It was impressive and a very original way of drawing attention to modern-day slavery.
The Emancipation of Robert Sadler is available at your favorite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group, including amazon.ca.
Disclaimer: Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. for review purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.
funny how the first black slave (first slave) on the continent was bought and owned by another black man. He had been an indentured servant but now was greedy and wanted his own servants to not ever leave. A black began the enslavement of his own race for almost 200 years here in north america. He lost his farm and died a slave, victim of his own creation. How fitting an end to him. This is why i cringe when i hear about how the other races oppressed the black man. He did it unto himself. Clearly it is time to take responsibility for one's own actions.
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