Life for a fifteen year old known only as “the boy” is just like everyone else’s. He’s old enough to make his own decisions and knows without a doubt what is best for him, or so he thinks. But unlike most fifteen year olds, he is an African American living in Tennessee in 1825. Although he was born free, he still feels shackled by the social norms of the day. After an argument with his father over his future, he decides to run away from the sheltered home he grew up in. Making his way down the mighty Mississippi River, he stops in New Orleans, where after a violent encounter, he quickly finds out that the world isn’t what he had expected. He flees to St. Louis and starts on a downward spiral until he meets the eccentric General Argan Zebulon. The General recruits him on a fur trading mission to go pass the western frontier, where danger lurks at every turn. Will the boy reunite with his family? Or will this beautiful, yet unforgiving landscape claim another victim? Great for young people ages 12-18, Not Only in Blood is a coming of age tale that highlights the internal struggles that come with being thrust into adulthood.