An illiterate slave, Dred Scott trusted in an all-white, slave-owning jury to declare him free. But after briefly experiencing the glory of freedom and manhood, a new state Supreme Court ordered the cold steel of the shackles to be closed again around his wrists and ankles. Falling to his knees, Dred cried, "Ain't I a man?" Dred answered his own question by rising and taking his fight to the U.S. Supreme Court.Read More
Lynne M. Jackson
President and Founder of The Dred Scott Heritage Foundation
Thurbert E. Baker
Attorney General of Georgia
Dennis Courtland Hayes
General Counsel & Corporation Secretary for the NAACP
Pastor France Davis
Calvary Baptist Church
Albert C. Jones
Publisher
Eleanor Holmes-Norton
DC Congresswoman
African American Literature Book Club Review
This well-researched historical novel, Am I Not A Man?, goes into the mind of Dred Scott, an illiterate slave who endured the agony of bondage and all of its cruelty from his early days in Virginia until his classic legal battles to over-turn the restrictive laws of slavery. Shurtleff, a white author, never lets us forget these black men and women were human beings. He shows the reader that Dred and his wife, Harriet, were loving, caring people. He takes us into their minds and hearts and trusts us with their unrelenting humanity.
Read Robert Fleming's full review here
This well-researched historical novel, Am I Not A Man?, goes into the mind of Dred Scott, an illiterate slave who endured the agony of bondage and all of its cruelty from his early days in Virginia until his classic legal battles to over-turn the restrictive laws of slavery. Shurtleff, a white author, never lets us forget these black men and women were human beings. He shows the reader that Dred and his wife, Harriet, were loving, caring people. He takes us into their minds and hearts and trusts us with their unrelenting humanity.
Read Robert Fleming's full review here
"Attorney General Shurtleff has used his exceptional gift for writing to bring to life the mind, heart and passion of my great-great grandparents in a moving and hard to put down novel of great excellence. His ability to portray the dignity of all human beings through the characters is extraordinary. Mark's sincere love for these heroes manifests in the detail he exhibits as he personifies many heart wrenching and joyful moments they experienced on their road to freedom. This story is a masterful achievement in allowing us to be there beyond the legal aspects and feel with and for the Scotts.....and you will!"
"'Am I Not A Man' is as majestic a work as the Mississippi River is to the landscape of this novel, and as empowering as the spirit of Dred Scott. Mark Shurtleff proves to be a master storyteller, weaving together an extraordinary tapestry of human, naturalistic, and historical events that reveal the providence of Dred Scott's life and its significance in birthing the nation that we live in today. You will not find the breadth and beauty of this story in the history books. It does not exist. Mark was uniquely gifted in delivering this remarkable story to the world. He exposed how the courage of one man, along with the support of other just and courageous men, overcame the scourge of injustice and altered the course of American history. It will renew your faith in the power of the human spirit." 
"Mark has recounted a spectacular and riveting story of American heroism and human triumphs, unbounded by race, color, or gender. The founders' dream for a single, egalitarian society has meant cultivating it continually with love, courage, sacrifice, perseverance and patriotism. No one has made a bigger contribution to the realization of this dream than Dred Scott. His inspiring story serves as an example of how personal conviction and alliances of the hopeful can ultimately achieve the founders' vision. From precious Dred Scott to Barrack Obama, there are still rivers to cross and corners to turn before justice, and thus freedom, is ours."
"'Am I Not a Man? The Dred Scott Story' refreshes our memories of a sad time in America's history. In familiar language, we get details with clarity and passion while showing the depths of familial love and commitment to positive change. It is written in a readable, engaging style and every person should take the time to learn from it." 
"More than anything else "Am I Not A Man? The Dred Scott Story" is about a religious man clinging to faith, holding onto a trust in God instilled in him by his mother. That Mark Shurtleff would tell this story in the theological voice common to the African-American experience gives the read credence, authenticity with echoes very familiar today." 
There may be no better way to capture the dramatic story of the life of the remarkable slave, Dred Scott, than through a novel in the hands of a gifted and daring writer. More than 150 years after Taylor Blow freed him from bondage, Dred Scott has found that writer in Mark Shartleff. After five years of deep and extensive research into Dred Scotts life and times, this distinguished lawyers own sense of the hunger of all for justice gives Am I Not a Man gripping authenticity.