In his new book Birthright, Virginia Tech professor of history A. Roger Ekirch brings to life an extraordinary story of intrigue and scandal, corruption, betrayal, and redemption.

Ekirch details the story of an orphaned aristocrat—freed from years of indentured labor in America to claim his rightful place as a peer of the realm—an ordeal that captivated 18th-century Britain. The saga inspired no fewer than five novels, including Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic adventure tale, Kidnapped.

Ekirch, the award-winning author of At Day’s Close: Night in Times Past, recounts the conflicts of the Annesley family, evoking the scents, sights, and sounds—the ancient rituals and violent debauchery—of life in Georgian Ireland.

Birthright is based upon research in Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States, where Ekirch draws upon courtroom transcripts, newspapers, personal correspondence, and nearly 400 rarely seen yet remarkably detailed legal depositions. “An extraordinary work of history by one of America’s most imaginative historians, a true story more fascinating than fiction,” proclaims Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, Gordon S. Wood.

Per the publisher, W.W. Norton and Company:
“In 1728, at 12 years of age, Jemmy Annesley was kidnapped from Dublin and shipped by his uncle to the colonies as an indentured servant. Uncle Richard, his blood rival, usurped the boy’s inheritance of five aristocratic titles belonging to the mighty house of Annesley, together with sprawling estates in Ireland, England, and Wales. Only after 12 more years, in the American backwoods, did James successfully escape to Jamaica, then to England and Ireland where he set about reclaiming his birthright, all the while defying accusations of being a “pretender,” the bastard son of a maidservant, in addition to repeated attempts on his life. How, after such a long absence, in an age without DNA laboratories, fingerprint records, or photographs could an impoverished prodigal prove his identity, let alone his legitimacy? At stake during the epic trial held in Dublin—the longest in memory—was the greatest family estate ever put before a jury. Thus began a tortuous quest on the road to redemption – full of unforeseen twists and turns—followed closely by a rapt public, including George II, king of England.”

Now modern readers can experience for themselves the story of James Annesley’s journey. Ekrich’s book (W. W. Norton & Company; $24.95 cloth) will be released on Jan. 25. Ekirch will be discussing Birthright at the Library of Congress in the Mary Pickford Theater on April 15 at noon.

Jean Elliott is a communications manager for Virginia Tech’s Department of University Relations.

Chris Arvidson, Assistant Director of the National Committee for the New River, interviewed Josh Weil about his new book The New Valley. You can purchase the book at Josh’s Web site (where you can read some of Josh’s other work), at your local bookstore, and at Amazon.com.

Josh Weil is the author of the novella collection The New Valley (Grove Press, 2009), a New York Times Editors Choice. His fiction has been published in Granta, New England Review, American Short Fiction, and Narrative; he has written nonfiction for The New York Times, Granta Online, and Poets & Writers. Since earning his MFA from Columbia University, he has received a Fulbright grant, a Writer’s Center Emerging Writer Fellowship, and the Dana Award in Portfolio. He has been a fellow at both the Bread Loaf and Sewanee Writers’ Conferences. As the 2009 Tickner Fellow, he is the writer-in-residence at Gilman School in Baltimore, where he is at work on a novel. (more…)

Each year the English Club works in conjunction with the English Department in order to help sponsor writers and English events. On March 21, Radford University hosted the Highlander Literary Festival sponsored by the English Club. (more…)

We’ve seen various cases of nepotism over the years. There has been some controversy in West Virginia regarding the Governor and his daughter. Coaches have often been known to have a son on their staffs. And heck, Jeb Bush helped steal a Presidential election for his brother in 2000! (more…)

The summer vacation season is here, and folks everywhere are packing a book or two into their beach bags. We often recommend non-fiction books that might have politics or social justice at their core. But we know sometimes you just need some relaxation and entertainment.

Amid the proliferation of new fiction this year, two brightly macabre novels stand out as fine summer reads.

The first is Stephen King’s Duma Key, published in early 2008. The novel tells the story of Edgar Freemantle, a Minnesota building contractor who survives a construction accident that should have killed him. Emerging from a recovery nearly as terrifying as the accident, Edgar is not quite the person he was before.

In addition to the loss of his right arm, Edgar suffers a contracoup injury to the head in which the brain is affected on the opposite side of the impact. The result is that Edgar cannot quite think the way he did before, and is prone to moments of intense anger when he cannot speak what he is thinking. His wife crumbles under the emotional fallout, leaving him after twenty-odd years of marriage. Seeking the assistance of a psychologist, Edgar is advised to do the only thing that may save him: move to the Florida Keys. (more…)

Diving into a great book can make a person forget about all the day’s problems, relax the mind, and get into the storyline. But we don’t want to recommend the typical fluffy beach reading for you. Getting lost in this year’s summer reading will include learning about the peacemakers for our world, the shifting of American dominance, the ladies that helped shape our nation to what it is now, and many others. (more…)