Mahala

The Darkness Saga

By: Jeff Nebeker-Johnson

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

Mahala: the Darkness Saga is the prequel to Darkness: A Slave's Story and the sixth book in that series. The latest addition to the saga takes us back to the beginning where Mahala's mother, Trini, is a young slave on a farm owned by an elderly couple, Ebenezer and Corabelle Smith. The Smiths have decided to free their slaves and gift their farm to them upon their deaths. Trini, her husband, Scotty, and the other slaves wait with mixed feelings as events unfold and change their somewhat comfortable lives forever.

After her birth, Mahala is sold to Zeke and Mary Jennings, who raise her as their own child. The color of her skin becomes a stumbling block for everyone concerned. An astronomical event, the Leonid Meteor Shower of 1833, changes the family dynamics and Mahala is sold to Thomas Andrews of Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Her life on the Andrews Farm is one of cruelty, abuse, and betrayal.

Jeff Nebeker-Johnson is a slave historian and genealogist and is a physician during the daylight hours. He has performed the genealogy for over 10,000 slaves and freemen, pouring over every census record in the state of Missouri going back to 1840. In his spare time he studies slave narratives and writes historical fiction about their lives. He currently practices medicine in Salt Lake City, Utah.