Brooke Stewart

Dreams of a Promised Land: the Continued Chronicles of the Beauchamp Family Brooke Stewart

Publisher Marketing: "Dreams of a Promised Land" is a continuation of a series that began with the novel "Crimes of a Guilty Land." The series follows the story of the Beauchamp family from the early nineteenth century. "Dreams of a Promised Land" takes the story from 1920 through the early 1970s. ..". The P-51 Mustang was in a full power dive. The airframe was shaking as it reached or most likely exceeded its maximum rated airspeed, but Adam Beauchamp was calm and focused as the new and revolutionary enemy Me262 jet fighter came within range. This was the moment he had trained for..." That moment in Adam Beauchamp's life seemed far removed from the simple and almost idyllic years when he was growing up in Leesburg, Florida. After being abandoned by his parents at a young age, he had been raised by a loving couple who taught him the basics of life. He had spent hours with his Uncle Vernon fishing on Lake Harris, and he had enjoyed so many whimsical and fun filled times with friends. During one Spring-time, at the age of fourteen, he spent some time in Micanopy, Florida. There he not only found his future vocation in life, but he also learned a thing or two about girls. But during his childhood years, Adam was also continually reminded of his being an African American boy. He was black, and he gradually came to learn that some people had bad feelings about him and his family. He became very aware that in fact some people had bad feelings about all of the black people. He experienced some of the racial prejudice and behavior of those times. He learned to be careful. His Uncle Vernon taught him to be 'respectful.' Adam learned humiliation. The novel is primarily the memoirs of Adam Beauchamp, a successful writer and the grandson of Brownie who was one of the principal characters in "Crimes of a Guilty Land." Young Adam is desperate to learn some background to his family, and in particular concerning his parents who had walked out of his life when he was very young. An unexpected call to visit his Grandfather Brownie in 1942 yields a treasure trove of information and starts Adam down a road of discovery. That road takes him through the world of Blues musicians in the Mississippi Delta and in the City of Memphis, and through war time service as a Tuskegee Airman. Then Adam enters the Civil Rights movement with unexpected results. Love, humor, historical background and tragedy are all discovered along the way.