Released January 28, 2008  

2007 NAACP Debut Author Nominee Prepares for Second Book Release The Knees of Gullah Island on Sepia/Harlequin Imprint 

Memphis, TN – January 28, 2008 – The Knees of Gullah Island (Kimani Press, March 2008, $14.95 US, $18.95 CAN), the sophomore release of author Dwight Fryer, arrives in bookstores nationwide on March 1, 2008. This book is a prequel to his first novel, The Legend of Quito Road, which earned Fryer a nomination for Outstanding Literary Work from a Debut Author at the 38th NAACP Image Awards last year.
 
The Knees of Gullah Island examines the life of Gillam Hale, the free-born son of an African Methodist Episcopal (AME) preacher from Cumberland, Maryland, and his search for his wife Queen Esther and the five children they had together. They were free persons of color, but Gillam and his family were kidnapped and sold separately into American slavery. After the Civil War, he could find no trace of his wife or offspring, so Gillam began a new life. Son Erby, the main character from The Legend of Quito Road, is Gillam's grandson from that second family he started.
 
In this next Southern tale, Gillam leaves his second family to search for his first. In Dwight Fryer fashion, the theme of this book is "bent knees straighten crooked deeds." The Knees of Gullah Island follows Gillam, Queen Esther and their son Joseph to 1883 Charleston, Edisto Island and the South Carolina Low Country. This is a timeless story of love, loss, hope and rebirth. The Knees of Gullah Island explores Gullah – Geechee culture and its historical significance in American history. This story examines the complex racial dynamics that shaped the South through one family's extraordinary journey to freedom.
 
About Author:
Dwight Fryer is an author, motivational speaker and businessman.  Dwight has twenty-five years business experience in transportation, manufacturing, and capital services in technology, finance, accounting, marketing and leadership.  Dwight and his wife Linda live in a rural area near Memphis. They have an adult daughter. He is working on his third novel and his first nonfiction title.
 
THE KNEES OF GULLAH ISLAND
ISBN: 0-373-83119-6
KIMANI PRESS/SEPIA IMPRINT
$14.95 US, $18.95 CAN