Although there were phrases and ideas that sometimes eluded me, it did not deter from the story, and by the end most of those confusions resolved themselves. One thing that really hit me was my misunderstanding of the Abolitionist / Underground movement. I pictured courageous people, usually Quakers and Mennonites, doing their parts to host runaways along their way North. What I never pictured was the long range planning & networking of the "Quality"to obtain plantations that were going under; and the fact that there was an underside of the murder of some in order to produce the freedom of many. It made me face once again, that no movement is entirely pure...that we are all a mix of goodness and evil, that as we face a greater call--hard decisions will be made. It happens in politics, in churches, in businesses, in families, in activist organizations. And, as much as I detest the Plantation owners and all of their duplicity in the name of God; I also can acknowledge the anguish that Howell Walker felt in his old age...the warring of his soul.
Of course, the other bigger story in his tale is Conducting. What a perfect word for the gift Hi was given. This reminded me of A Wrinkle in Time, where love was the key element in travel. In Coates' story, memory is the key. I loved that the Water Dance and Conducting came from the African slaves because it gives a richness to his heritage, just as when we discover a gift that we realize has come from our ancestors. An unforgettable read.
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