Hope's Path to Glory

The Story of a Family's Journey on the Overland Trail

In Alexandria, Virginia, in the mid-19th century, a slave-owning family is facing financial trouble. The eldest son, Jason, thinks going to California to mine for gold might be the best way to protect his father’s legacy. He’ll need a cook, a laundress, and a hostler for the journey, and one of them is twelve-year-old Clementine, whose mother calls her Hope.

From Independence, Missouri—the “Gateway to the West”—she and the others join a wagon train on the Emigrant Overland Trail. But what Jason didn’t consider is that taking the three enslaved people west will give them an opportunity to free themselves—manifesting their destiny.

©2023 Jerdine Nolen (P)2023 Dreamscape Media

Excellent companion for family road trip out West

As always, Bahni Turpin's narration is exquisite. Nolen's take on the westward pioneer journey, from the perspective of enslaved Virginians supporting the Gold Rush journey of their enslaver, is a unique one. Great audiobook listen for the family.