Trouble The Water

Read about Robert Smalls, the slave-turned-hero-turned-Congressman, for whom the US Navy is renaming a warship! Deeply moving and illuminating, Trouble the Water reveals the little-known real-life story of Robert Smalls. Born enslaved before the Civil War, Smalls witnesses great privilege and immense suffering alongside his owner's daughter and the dangerous son of a firebrand secessionist. When he's only twelve, he's put to work in Charleston, where he loads ships and learns to pilot a cotton steamer. When the war erupts and his cotton steamer becomes a confederate warship, Robert attempts a harrowing escape to freedom for himself and the people he loves. FIRST PLACE/ GOLD WINNER IN 2020 FEATHERED QUILL AWARDS FOR DEBUT NOVEL FIRST PLACE/ GOLD WINNER IN 2020 FEATHERED QUILL AWARDS FOR ADULT FICTION FIRST PLACE/ GOLD WINNER OF AMERICANBOOKFEST FICTION AWARD "With this stunning debut novel, Rebecca Bruff establishes herself as an exciting new voice in historical fiction." --Cassandra King Conroy, author of Moonrise, and Founding Honorary Chair of the Pat Conroy Literary Center Robert Smalls is one of America's great unsung heroes, and Trouble the Water finally brings his story into the light. Perfect for fans of The Invention of Wings, Homegoing, The Underground Railroad #robertsmallbook #troublethewaterbook