NEO•GRIOT

Nat Turner Challenges Styron's Confessions From The Grave  Howard/Simon & Schuster Author Challenges Styron's Account of the 1831 Virginia Revolt in Critically Acclaimed Novel Set to Release during Black History Month

Durham, NC -The Resurrection of Nat Turner, Part 2: The Testimony  (Howard/Simon & Schuster) by Sharon Ewell Foster is due for release February 7, 2012.  Based on historical facts uncovered during a five-year research and writing process, Foster's two-part series discredits the primary historical document related to Nat Turner, The Confessions of Nat Turner, written in 1831 by Thomas Gray; and also challenges William Styron's 1967 Pulitzer Prize winning novel.   "Sharon Ewell Foster has unearthed the truth about Nat Turner, rather than rehash and revisit the lies and distortions surrounding one of the most important people in American history" writes Dr. Ray Winbush, professor, historian and consultant on the PBS film, Nat Turner: A Troublesome Property. "This is a liberating book, both psychologically and historically."     Set for a Black History Month international release, The Resurrection of Nat Turner, Part 2: The Testimony offers readers a new and more objective view of the real Nat Turner and of the pre-civil war era of American history. Her personal research included visits to Southampton County, interviews with Nat Turner's living descendants and local historians, and analysis of handwritten trial transcripts and then Virginia Governor John Floyd's diary. "Every once in a while a book shakes the very foundation of what you believe, like Alex Haley's Autobiography of Malcolm X. The Resurrection of Nat Turner is in that category," Winbush states.     The Resurrection of Nat Turner, Part 1: The Witnesses examines the 1831 slave revolt and its leader, Nat Turner, through the eyes of historic figures like Frederick Douglass and Harriet Beecher Stowe, as well as friends and foes of Turner, and shares Foster's analysis of the uprising, subsequent slave massacre, and related trials.   "My findings freed me to offer readers a new Nat Turner. A preacher, a liberator, a literate man, and not the lunatic that history and some fiction bequeathed us," said Foster, whose first historical novel, Passing by Samaria, was the NAACP Book of the Year in 2000.   In The Resurrection of Nat Turner, Part 2: The Testimony, Foster imagines Turner's perspective and guides readers through his actions and motivations. "I never intended to write in Nat Turner's voice," explains Foster. "But,Turner's voice was insistent. One of the first things that came to me was, 'They were all heroes.' Slaves, whether passive or armed, were like prisoners of war. We should honor their role in American history rather than viewing them with shame."   Styron's Confessions initially released to national acclaim, but quickly came under criticism during the height of the Black Power movement. Author Lerone Bennett, speaking of Nat Turner and Styron's novel, wrote, "The prophet who died in the Jerusalem of America, cool and calm, sure of the Black Resurrection, still awaits a literary interpreter worthy of his sacrifice."   Critical reaction to Foster's retelling of the Nat Turner story has been strong. According to Kirkus Review, "Foster uses her strong research skills and her skill at turning historical names into living, breathing humans to great advantage."   During a radio interview,professor, author, and radio talk show host, Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, exclaimed to his audience, "She's blowing our minds!"   D.G. Martin, TV host of "North Carolina Bookwatch," has positively compared Foster's novel to The Help. "Here is an opportunity to read the work of a gifted African-American writer who tells her story effectively and sympathetically." Publishers Weekly has called The Resurrection of Nat Turner "fast-paced . . .riveting and expertly told by an inspired, practiced storyteller."    Part 1: The Witnesses is available wherever books, eBooks, and audio books are sold. Part 2: The Testimony is available for pre-order and releases February 7, 2012.     Cover: Part One  This month, Foster kicks off the Nat Turner Truth Tour, Part 2, with a review in the current issue of NAACP's The Crisis Magazine, book signings, presentations, lectures, and discussions. To add a stop on the Nat Turner Truth Tour or schedule an interview, contact: Stanice Anderson stanice@AndersonTucker.com or Mike Tucker  mike@AndersonTucker.com   Events currently scheduled for Black History Month are as follows:   February 6, 2012 - 7pm - 9 pm East Regional Library 946 Steeple Square Court, Knightdale, NC 27545-7655 (919) 217-5300   February 7, 8:40 am CST Radio Interview KZIM Morning Meeting Show Cape Girardeau, MO   Feb. 10, 7pm - 9 pm Regulator Bookshop 720 9th Street, Durham, NC 27705-4877 (919) 286-2700   Feb. 12, 3pm - 5 pm Quail Ridge Books & Music 3522 Wade Avenue, Raleigh, NC 27607-4048 (919) 828-1588   Feb. 17, 11am - 1 pm Defense Information School Ft Meade, MD   Feb. 17, 6:30 - 8:30 pm Sankofa Bookstore & Café 2714 Georgia Ave NW, Washington, DC 20001   Feb.18, 1:00 - 3:00pm The Reginald F. Lew is Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture 830 E. Pratt Street, Baltimore, MD 21202 443-263-1800   Feb. 19, 2:30 pm Enoch Pratt Free Library Central Branch  (Edgar Allen Poe Room) 400 Cathedral St. Baltimore, MD 21201 Phone:410-396-5430 (Phone)   Feb. 22 - 27 (Scheduled times TBD) Bethel Full Gospel Baptist Church 11410 Lincoln Blvd, Miami, FL 33176 (305) 232-3561       # # #   Visit the author's  websites at  www.SharonEwellFoster.com,  www.TheResurrectionOfNatTurner.com, or the  publisher's website at  www.SimonandSchuster.com.      Listen to Sharon Ewell Foster interviewed by Regina Gail Malloy about her Nat Turner novels' research and writing processes below (Part 1 & 2) and for prologue excerpt from Part 2 audiobook click here.   The Resurrection of Nat Turner, Part 1: The Witnesses - Interview with Novelist Sharon Ewell Foster The Resurrection of Nat Turner Interview with Regina Gail Malloy Pt 2 Author Sharon Ewell Foster Brings Nat Turner & His Mother to Life at 2011 Annual Congressional Black Caucus Conference, Part 1 of 2 Short Videos   Sharon Ewell Foster   Sharon Ewell Foster - a former Defense Department instructor, writer, analyst, and logistician is the only African American to win the Christy Award for her historical novel, Passing by Samaria, also chosen as the NAACP Book of the Year in 2000.  Born in Texas, raised in Illinois, she now resides in North Carolina. She is a speaker, teacher and author of eight previous books that have earned her a loyal following that crosses market, gender, and racial boundaries.  Foster has been a contributor to Daily Guideposts for over 10 years.                 For a photo of Foster click here.     To hear an interview with Foster on her Nat Turner fact-based novels' research and writing processes, click here or visit The Resurrection of Nat Turner FaceBook page. To check out some of the press coverage on the books visit, http://AndersonTucker.com/OurFootprints.  To follow @NatTurner180 on Twitter, click here.                   Stanice Anderson, Publicity Architect Anderson Tucker Agency, Stanice@AndersonTucker.com, 1-877-458-6811   Mike Tucker, Publicity Architect Anderson Tucker Agency Mike@AndersonTucker.com, 1-877-458-6811

------------------------------------ STORY IDEAS Everything We Know about Nat Turner is based on Lies!   Mighty words, but after five years of extensive research, author Sharon Ewell Foster disproves the primary historical document, Thomas Gray's 1831 The Confessions of Nat Turner, on what has been considered the most successful slave revolt in American history.   FACTS: Thomas Gray was NOT Nat Turner's lawyer. Gray was not mentioned anywhere in the trial's transcripts. The only thing Nat Turner confessed was ... INNOCENCE! Original trial transcripts confirm that Nat Turner pled "Innocent." There are so many angles to cover here ... The Resurrection of Nat Turner, Parts 1 & 2 vs. William Styron's The Confessions of Nat Turner Black History Month (Feb) 2012 Theme: Black Women in American Culture and History.  Ms. Foster's invaluable contribution to American History Women's History Month (March)  Theme: Women's Education - Women's Empowerment. Ms. Foster invaluable contribution to education and empowerment. Nat Turner's mother, Nikahywot (Nancie) was captured in her native Ethiopian and enslaved in America. Tie in to capital punishment stories Tie to modern-day slave trafficking stories Radical novel is birthing reconciliation conversations Botched Trial Conspiracy 2011 marked the 150-year anniversary of the Civil War and Nat Turner's significance to that historical event February 7, 2012 Simon & Schuster releases The Resurrection of Nat Turner, Part Two: The Testimony Smithsonian's National Museum of African American Culture and History possible acquisition of the original handwritten transcripts of the Nat Turner Trials, and other artifacts.  High praise from Publisher's Weekly, Kirkus Reviews and more!    Part 1: The Witnesses is being compared to NY Times bestsellers, The Help and Alex Haley's Autobiography of Malcolm X.   Got your attention? We hope so.  LET THE TRUTH RISE! Click for profile