Gabriel's Story introduces a writer of consummate skill, poetic genius, and literary seriousness. Set in the 1870s, it is the marvelously told coming-of-age story of a young African American in the fierce American West.Gabriel Lynch is not happy about his family's move from a brownstone in Baltimore to a homestead hovel in Kansas. He does not dislike his new stepfather, a former slave, but neither does he like the drudgery of farming on untamed land. So he steals away with a motley group headed for Texas, only to realize that he's joined a fearsome band given to rapacious plunder and mindless violence. As the cabal proceeds with its terrifying westward trek, Gabriel can only wonder if he'll ever return safely home.
