Asante is a story about three brothers and their journey to a place where they belong. Set in post-slavery America (Reconstruction period), the tale is rich with the struggles and unique triumphs of that time. Drama ensues and tension builds as the brothers settle in Apache Junction, Arizona. While making the best out of the hand they are dealt, they encounter an all new level of deception, corruption, greed, and double-dealings.
Ben, Jeremiah, and Joshua are each uniquely different from the other but share a bond not commonly found among such differences, even among brothers. Ben, who often goes by Buck, is the oldest and a blend of both his younger brothers’ personalities, but he has the unique quality of being a natural leader. People just like him and will follow him anywhere. Jeremiah, who goes by Bear for good reason, is the militant one. Bear speaks his mind and is a hothead, to say the least, with a serious disdain for the white man. Joshua is the baby boy and owns the distinction of having received a semiformal education. His outlook is that of an intellectual, so he is far more optimistic than Bear. Despite their differences, the brothers mesh perfectly under Buck’s guidance.
Although the overall story is a tale of triumph, it is not without the inevitable discourse. At the hands of a shady oil tycoon turned rancher slash gold miner, the boys learn some tough lessons about greed, deception, and even politics. There is even a more personal twist about life, death, romance, and forbidden love.
Asante is a story that hasn’t really been told before. Furthermore, never has there been a story that teased at the possibility of Negros progressing directly from slavery to this level of status in society, creating their own space. Although this is a work of fiction, it does inspire the drive to do more, go further, try harder, and dream the impossible dream. I believe that such a story is and has long been needed and now it is here.
As you accompany the characters on their journey in this book, you will sense some themes of today’s economical and social politics. You will identify some parallels between the greed written about in these chapters and the greed in the headlines today. My hope is that every reader can find a character, idea, issue, or situation that they can relate to and that draws them deeper into the story. As always, “fiction is what you make it.”