Gideon's Call: A Novel

Author Peter Leavell forges an unprecedented tale of tragedy and triumph amid the backdrop of the Civil War through the story of Tad, a very clever slave boy who comes of age as America’s war reaches the sea islands of South Carolina. Tad’s desire to better himself is obstructed by the color of his skin, until Northern soldiers force the evacuation of white plantation owners, setting 10,000 slaves free in a single day. These circumstances seem like a dream, except that the newly freed slaves have no money, no education, and little hope for the future—unless someone rises up to lead them. Based on true events, Gideon’s Call is the dramatic tale of a young man who battles the shame of his past and faces the horrors of war and unimaginable prejudice to become the deliverer of thousands of freed slaves.

Peter Leavell graduated from Boise State with a degree in history in 2007. With his passion for historical fiction, nothing delights Leavell more than people turning the pages of a book, enraptured by the story. He is the winner of the Christian Writer’s Guild’s best first novel 2012 for Gideon’s Call. He lives in Boise, Idaho.