The Broken Harmonica

Book excerpt: The Broken Harmonica is the compelling saga of Cornelius Wright as told in his own words; from his earliest years to his coming of age on a plantation in the old South; to his journey to freedom. Through nearly 100 years of his life Cornelius tells the dramatic tale of his time spent as a soldier in the Civil War, forging a path toward the freedom that he holds so deeply in his heart. Corneliuss personal struggles transform him even after the freedom comes and he must continue the fight to find a way for himself and his family in the complex and divided world of the late eighteenth, early twentieth century America. In the midst of it all is a harmonica that becomes symbolic of his life, his trials and his legacy.