Eleven Pounds

Know about the book -

Eleven Pounds is written by Jewel Thomas and published by Dog Ear Publishing. It's available with International Standard Book Number or ISBN identification 1457541238 (ISBN 10) and 9781457541230 (ISBN 13).

Just eleven years after slavery ended, George Pounds traded the tobacco fields of Danville, Virginia, for the coal mines of Smithfield and Herminie, Pennsylvania. George, a white-skinned mulatto born in 1876 to a sharecropper on a tobacco farm, vowed to have a better life than his parents. Cora Hatchet, a dark-skinned Negro born in 1880 to slaves, vowed to support her siblings, even if it meant a life of drudgery as a domestic servant. The two fell in love and married, and their life’s journey as an interracial couple, which began in the 19th century, forms the basis for this historic novel based on family history. Eleven Pounds shares the couple’s courage in moving forward even as they were touched by tragedy. George and Cora taught their children and generations following that they could compete with anybody anywhere if they maintained a strong work ethic, commitment to faith and family, and a belief that the color of a man’s skin cannot destroy his potential. Their story also stresses the importance of choosing marriage partners based on character, being brave in the face of adversity, helping others, and trusting in God when darkness descends. Jewel Thomas drew on oral history from family members, correspondence, newspaper clippings, photographs, census records, and birth, marriage and death certificates in crafting this unforgettable story of one family’s determination to not only survive but thrive.