ACROSS The GULF STREAM: Freedom Journey to Red Bays, Andros

What happens when a people refuse to let their history die? In the turbulent aftermath of the American Revolution, freedom remained an unfulfilled promise for thousands of enslaved Africans along the Carolina and Georgia coasts. While nations celebrate independence, many still live under bondage. Yet whispers of liberty travel through the marshes, praise houses, rice fields, and tidal creeks of the Sea Islands, carrying news of a daring opportunity to escape. Among those who answer the call are Nana Yaa, a gifted healer of the Gullah Geechee people; Abena, the keeper of ancestral memory; Seminole warriors who have long resisted oppression; and families willing to risk everything for the chance to live free. Their journey carries them through hidden waterways, across dangerous territories, onto crowded ships, and over the vast Atlantic toward an uncertain future in the Bahamas. Along the way they face storms, sacrifice, loss, and impossible choices. Yet they also discover unexpected alliances, enduring faith, and a shared determination to build something greater than themselves. Set against the rich historical backdrop of the Gullah Geechee culture, Black Seminole history, and the settlement of Andros Island, Tide of the Free is a sweeping multigenerational story of courage, survival, identity, and belonging. Woven through its pages are the rhythms of ancestral traditions, the power of community, the wisdom of elders, and the enduring belief that freedom is worth every sacrifice. As old worlds fade and new ones emerge, a remarkable community takes root on the western shores of Andros. There, amid pine forests, turquoise waters, and ancestral memories carried across oceans, the foundations of Red Bay are born. Epic, inspiring, and deeply moving, Tide of the Free celebrates the resilience of a people who carried their culture, faith, and hope across generations and transformed hardship into legacy. Some journeys begin with escape. Others begin with a promise. This one begins with both.

Pagina's: 116, Paperback, Dr. Kayla Bullard