Title: All Men Are Created Equal
Author: Eralides E. Cabrera
Publisher: Gotham Books
ISBN: 979-8349606458
Pages: 306
Genre: Fiction / Historical
Reviewer: Susan Brown
Hollywood Book Reviews
On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress of the recently formed United States of America ratified the Declaration of Independence. Authored principally by Thomas Jefferson it included this precept, ”We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
At its heart, this novel is a contemplation and reflection about perhaps the most famous five words of this adage, “all men are created equal.” This statement is integral to the dialogue around the equity of individual freedom in this narrative. How can a country which embraces the concept of “free people” continue to support slavery? What does freedom look like in post-Revolutionary War in America? What is equality?
The author addresses these thought-provoking ideas through a wonderful love story that unfolds against the backdrop of life on a southern plantation, the trauma of war and the aftermath of that conflict. We are introduced to the disparities between the landowners and the enslaved; those who have privileges and those who don’t. The emotional tension in this novel happens as we watch the drama of estate owner, Gary Heckerson, and one of his slaves, Thelma Hemmings, fall in love. At the same time, there’s external tension to this relationship as Heckerson navigates the ongoing, ever-present drums of war in which he plays an all-important role as he works to establish a new government. These two disparate worlds weave in and out of the changing relationship of these two main characters.
The author presents a historically representative depiction of the structure of southern life in the 1700s. Although interacting with colored people outside of society’s established dictates of the time was, presumably, unacceptable, it happened. People fall in love, sometimes crossing boundaries they shouldn’t. As beautiful as a love story, any love story is, there is quite often an ugly side.
I very much appreciated that the author didn’t shy away from this and embodies Thelma with a keen understanding of her place, as difficult as it is too for the readers to be made aware of. Thelma knows that “the master of a slave household would never think of his slaves as an equal.” And sadly, she also knows, “It was more likely that Mr. Heckerson and she would continue having an illicit affair whereby her master stood to gain all the advantages and all the regressions.” What an impossible position for Thelma; to love from the shadows.
Even given the impossibility of their affair, I was rooting for both of these characters. She is a strong, capable woman who raises Heckerson’s child, runs his household, protects his property and takes care of many of the details of his life. He is a smart intelligent man who seems to admire and respect that she is all of these things; by all accounts they truly love each other, but she also knows that “as fair-minded as Mr. Heckerson might be, he was part of an old system that was not about to change.” She would never be considered a free woman, even in a country where “all men are created equal” , a phrase, in this story, that Heckerson penned.
There is a chance that Thelma could find freedom. That would mean walking away from the man and child that she loves. Does Thelma follow her heart? Or the pull of freedom? Eralides E. Cabrera has written a novel in All Men Are Created Equal that challenges you to reflect on this painful choice. Rich with historical detail and emotional depth, Eralides E. Cabrera delivers a compelling novel about sacrifice, courage, and the enduring human desire to be free.