REVIEW COPIES OF “ON THE WINGS OF THE WIND” WENT OUT TO QUITE A FEW PROMINENT AFRICAN-AMERICAN HISTORY SCHOLARS. I AM DELIGHTED TO SAY THAT I JUST HEARD FROM DR. HENRY LOUIS GATES AND DR. KATE CLIFFORD LARSON.
What the book needs most now is reviews, recommendations, testimonials and blurbs from readers—like you all. My strategy is to collect them and post them on my website and use them in any marketing campaign. They will provide much needed credibility for any potential readers who may wonder: why should I read this book? Is it worth my time?
I was absolutely thrilled to receive an email from Dr. Henry Louis Gates thanking me for sending him a copy of the book. “I will not have time to read it for a while, but hope to have the opportunity to do so in the future.”
Music to my ears. My book is now on his radar screen and in his consciousness AND he has it on his own personal bookshelf. And, he said he wants to read it!
Cool!!!
“I wish you great success with the book,” he said. “Thank you for telling me about it.”
“Best wishes, Henry Louis Gates, Jr.”
Dr. Kate Clifford Larson is the definitive authority on Harriet Tubman. Her 2004 biography “BOUND FOR THE PROMISED LAND: HARRIET TUBMAN, PORTRAIT OF AN AMERICAN HERO” received dozens of accolades and excellent reviews. I would recommend it to anybody if you want to find out everything we know about the real Harriet Tubman.
We had some prior conversations, via email and phone when I was doing my research. She was an enormous help for me—and I used plenty of authentic Tubman quotes in WINGS. Dr. Larson emailed me to tell me how eager she is to read my book.
So that is a good start.
Today, I will be sending out more review copies:
…to Professor Jean Fagan Yellin, who discovered evidence hat a runaway slave named Harriet Jacobs was actually the author of the 1859 Slave Narrative ‘INCIDENTS IN THE LIFE OF A SLAVE GIRL.”
…to Astronaut Mae Jemison, the first African-American woman to fly in space, who was the model for my fictional Astronaut Sharon Brantley.
…to Astronaut Stephanie Wilson, the third African-American woman to fly in space and who just completed her third Space Shuttle mission in April.
If I hear anything back I’ll let you all know.
Wish me luck!!!
PEACE AND BLESSINGS,
Rich
Posted By: Richard Kigel
Saturday, June 5th 2010 at 11:05AM
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