MY REVIEW
WOW! I had high hopes going into I Am Jayvyn by Peter D Brown and he did not disappoint. His research and the ability to create a storyline that rivals any other Black & African American Historical Fiction novel is at the top of the list.
We start off in Africa. Jayvyn is twelve years old, looking forward to his right of passage ceremony coming up, when his village is raided by English slavers. The trek to the slave ship left many dead and there would be many more that would succumb to the ocean voyage. Jayvyn kept telling himself, just stay alive and, maybe, some day…
I Am Jayvyn is 509 pages of raw emotion. I laughed and I cried with the characters. The brutality was savage. I cannot understand why one human being thinks they are better than another. The slaves were treated like chattel. How much work can you get out of someone that is being beaten and starved?
Every time something good happened to the slaves, I waited for something horrid to follow. What an emotional roller coaster. I felt all the emotions, happiness and sadness, disgust and anger, sorrow and rage. I love that, no matter how much they tried to beat him down, Jayvyn held on. There were those around him that helped him grow into a man that persevered, learning life’s lessons.
I Am Jayvyn by Peter D Brown is an in your face, thought provoking novel. An historical novel that blends truth with fiction, showing the slaves ability to believe in something larger than themselves, seeing the good amongst the evil.
I highly recommend I Am Javyyn by Peter D Brown. It was everything I anticipated and more. This is Peter’s first book, but I now have him in my sights and look forward to reading more of his work.
Thank you, Peter, for the opportunity to read I Am Jayvyn. Well done.
GOODREADS BLURB
“I AM JAYVYN,” is a compelling work of historical fiction positioned to remind readers, at a critical time, of the key role that the enslaved played in the development of America and the systemic racism that still plagues the US today.
Cir. 1710: On a beautiful morning full of hope and promise, twelve-year-old Javyn’s world is suddenly shattered when English slavers raid his peaceful village. His father is killed, he is separated from his mother and little sister, and his home is left in flames. In a whirlwind of change, Jayvyn survives the horrors of the middle passage alone, landing in Barbados, where he endures two years of ‘seasoning’ on a sugar plantation. His adolescent development progresses under the tutelage of Andrew, a fellow enslaved African, in desperate circumstances he could never have imagined.
In time, Jayvyn is sold again and survives another harrowing ocean voyage to South Carolina, where he is auctioned off to the owner of a growing rice plantation. Jayvyn lives his life amongst a diverse cast of fellow enslaved in a world where love, hate, and cruelty coexist as families are formed and separated at the whim of masters who see the enslaved as nothing more than chattel property. Colonial history unfolds while this resilient community of enslaved Africans adapt to an ever-changing world of oppression and subjugation.
Over the course of his life, Jayvyn gains a healthy perspective on the virtues and flaws of humanity—even transcending the high threshold of forgiveness—leaving readers with abundant food for thought delivered in an appalling tale of pain and suffering, but also one of true faith and deliverance told through the clear lens of history.
- Genre: Black & African American Historical Fiction
- 505 pages, Kindle Edition
- Published January 12, 2025, Independent
ABOUT PETER D BROWN
Peter D. Brown is a Maine-based author of historical fiction with a deep interest in social justice and a passion for preserving history. His writing relies on a deep commitment to historical accuracy while aiming to illuminate stories of the oppressed or misunderstood. Presented alongside proclivities typical of the human condition, he challenges his readers to confront uncomfortable truths and engage with the complexities of the human experience.
Retired now from formal enterprise, Peter lives in a quiet, pastoral township in Maine with his loving wife and two dogs, where he enjoys ample quietude and peace to gain inspiration, sort out his thoughts, and bring them to life.
Through his work, Peter hopes to promote thoughtful conversations about the enduring impact of history on contemporary society.
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