The brutal inhumanities and deadly cruelties that often characterized slavery in the United States are well known. Blood Kin tells a different side of the story, one in which two boys, one black and the other white, dare to challenge the racial barriers of their time by reaching out to one another in friendship only to later discover that they actually share the same blood. Told with a fascinating blend of history, folklore, and first-rate storytelling, Blood Kin takes readers into the world of Woodloe Plantation outside Savannah, Georgia. There, the residents hope to avoid the growing threat of violence in the United States but find themselves torn apart not only by the Civil War but by long-held family secrets and resentments finally revealed. Blood Kin is that rare kind of literary event that opens readers' hearts with joy and lifts their spirits with the power of inspiration.