BE FREE OR DIE

A universal story of courage and heroism

At the beginning of America's Civil War, the South stood firm and, and no one knew if they would win and destroy the United States, then not even 100 years old. A hero against all odds, this is the extraordinary and inspirational story of Robert Smalls, an escaped slave who, in a daring burst of courage, commandeered a Confederate ship and helped the Union win the war with valuable intelligence. A celebrated hero at the time, he returned to enemy territory, subsequently piloting the ship during a deadly sea battle. With his celebrity, he helped convince Lincoln in an historic move to allow black regiments to fight, and after the war became one of the first black politicians in America. Prosperous and successful, he purchased his former slave owner's home and even allowed his widow to live there for a number of years.

In our modern era, where minorities and immigrants struggle for basic human rights, this is a universal story of courage and heroism.

CATE LINEBERRY came to her interest in the Civil War when she discovered she had relatives who fought on both sides of the conflict. She has been a top writer for the NY Times Civil War Disunion Blog, She was an editor for National Geographic Magazine and web editor for the Smithsonian Magazine. She is also the author of THE SECRET RESCUE: An Untold Story of American Nurses and Medics Behind Nazi Lines (Little Brown), which was nominated for several awards, and was the #1 Wall St. Journal ebook