June 3, 2010
First Lady Michelle Obama
THE WHITE HOUSE
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, D. C. 20500
Dear Mrs. Obama:
“No other group of slaves anywhere, at any period in history, left such a large repository of testimony about the horror of becoming the legal property of another human being.”
“So much of African American history is still buried in trunks, attics, basements and closets.”
“They keep finding Mayan cities and tombs of pharaohs. They’ve got to find more manuscripts from black people in the 19th century. I’m confident of it. It’s just the way it has to be.”
All three statements, attributed to Dr. Henry Louis Gates, go to the heart of my new historical novel ON THE WINGS OF THE WIND: The Untold Story of History’s First Flight (SynergEbooks2010).
ON THE WINGS OF THE WIND tells the improbable story of history’s first successful attempt to fly. According to Josiah Brantley, born a slave in Virginia, it wasn’t the Wright Brothers who did it.
In this fictional first person slave narrative, Josiah tells the story of an elderly slave named Mose, the plantation mechanic and handyman, who worked for twelve years in secret, deep in the woods under the cover of night, building his simple ingenious flying machine.
My good friend, Irma Robinson, a grandmother from California and a fierce and highly informed protector of the African-American legacy, practically insisted that I send you a copy of my book. She pointed out to me that you had studied Black History at Princeton and especially because of the recent New York Times piece exploring your own family history in slavery—and because of the President’s interest in NASA—you may well be interested in reading a book such as this.
So I am taking the liberty of sending you a copy of ON THE WINGS OF THE WIND, hoping that you will read it and like it—and say something about it.
A feature sure to appeal to history buffs is that my novel has a contemporary frame. The opening and closing chapters are set in today’s world of computers, high-tech gadgetry and space travel. The story begins as a young reporter interviews the fourth African-American woman to fly in space. Fictional Astronaut Sharon Brantley offers the startling revelation that her distant ancestor escaped from slavery on a home-made flying machine. This intrigues the reporter and the quest to verify her history making claim is on.
In a unique hybrid of reality and invention, our fictional reporter interviews several of the most respected current authorities in African-American history. Harvard’s Dr. Henry Louis Gates, along with Yale’s Dr. David Blight and Professor Jean Fagan Yellin of Pace University, appear as characters in the novel. Each scholar talks about recent discoveries of long hidden 19th century manuscripts written by former slaves. In dialogue based on actual quotes taken from published sources, the esteemed professors leave open the tantalizing possibility that a manuscript written by Josiah Brantley may be discovered one day.
Blending fiction and history, science and fantasy, ON THE WINGS OF THE WIND is a whimsical, high-spirited adventure through the darkest corners of our American past, a celebration of ingenuity and perseverance, a triumph of the human spirit.
If you would like to find out more about WINGS and my other books, please visit my website:
www.wingsfirstflight.com Thank you for your kind attention.
Sincerely,
Richard Kigel
NOTE TO THE FIRST LADY’S STAFF:
This book is a gift. You can do what you want with it. But, since it is, after all, a book, I would like to request that you make sure it does not languish on a shelf in storage somewhere. If the First Lady, herself, isn’t interested in reading it, will you please allow someone—anyone—to read it if they so desire?
A book, in order to justify its existence, needs a reader.
Thank you!
RK
Posted By: Richard Kigel
Thursday, June 3rd 2010 at 5:23PM
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