They were but three of a houseful of slaves who were sold when a plantation's properties went up for auction. A herd of cattle was priced at $864. A handmill, $1. Stephen was worth $800; Peggy, $150; Qush, $100.

They were real people from a real plantation, listed in a real document discovered by Ashley Bryan. In his monumental tribute to the strength of human spirit and power of hope, Ashley, with his paint and poetry, has imagined these eleven lives beyond their simple descriptions, beyond their prices, for dreams and hopes and loves can never be chained and can never be sold. Every slave was so much more than that cruel moniker. They were individuals, each a person, who had a dream.

From the dust jacket