Will — Jewell Parker Rhodes

Bestselling and award-winning author Jewell Parker Rhodes goes West in this thrilling adventure story about a son and his father who set out to win land during the Oklahoma Land Rushâ€" if they can survive the journey.
 
It's 1889, barely twenty-five years after the Emancipation Proclamation, and a young Black family is tired of working on land they don't get to own.
 
So when Will and his father hear about an upcoming land rush, they set out on a journey from Texas to Oklahoma, racing thousands of others to the place where land is free -- if they can get to it fast enough. But the journey isn't easy -- the terrain is rough, the bandits are brutal, and every interaction carries a heavy undercurrent of danger.
 
And then there's the stranger they encounter and befriend: a mysterious soldier named Caesar, whose Union emblem brings more attention -- and more trouble -- than any of them need.
 
All three are propelled by the promise of something long denied to them: freedom, land ownership, and a place to call home -- but is a strong will enough to get them there?