“I’se done sharecroppin’for you. We’re leavin’.”At the age of five, slave Rom Decker is freed by his owner. Blessed with a good mind and remarkable physical skills, he becomes a valued employee to the white family who freed him, and who educate him. Not fully understanding the plight of black slaves, Rom cannot understand why the slaves allow themselves to be so badly treated, and he develops contempt for his people. After the Civil War, Rom is outraged by the way the freed slaves are drawn back into virtual slavery through the demeaning practice of sharecropping, which continues to give white landowners a source of cheap labor. Rom is determined to rescue as many sharecroppers as possible from the bondage of the big landowners. He knows that escaping from repression is extremely difficult, and he is ready to use his courage, intelligence, and all the resources he can muster to save his people and lead them to a new beginning in Arizona. There are many obstacles to overcome -- savage Indians, racial prejudice, harsh terrain – but Rom keeps his eyes on the “promised land.” Along the way, Rom finds a new faith in his creator, allowing him to accept the personal tragedies that occur. Author Avon Acker brings the passionate commitment and breadth of vision of both a scholar and a storyteller to Rom and the Promised Land, creating historical fiction that educates and entertains. Readers will come away enlightened not only about the mismanaged Reconstruction years following the Civil War, but also about how those struggles continue to challenge Black Americans in their quest to integrate into American culture.