This book is a fictional retelling of the events surrounding an actual historical uprising of slaves in Southampton County, VA in 1831. The story is told in the form of a journal kept by Nat Turner, leader of the slave rebellion. As a young man, Turner felt called by God to do some great deed for his enslaved people. He experiences a number of "signs" (one of which we now know to have been an eclipse) which confirm for him that he has been chosen by God to lead the slaves in a revolt against the plantation owners. The book goes on to describe the actual events of the rebellion, interspersed with commentary written by Turner afterward as he waited in hiding for the white posse to come arrest him.
A very good fictional account of the story behind the actual historical events. Panger does a good job not only showing how such an uprising could have occurred, but also showing the reasons (fear, complacency, misplaced respect for their masters) that prevented many of the slaves from rising up along with Turner.
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