Harry Schenawolf is a retired teacher and professor, a collegiate, historian, arts adviser, and novelist. He currently lives in Vermont with his beloved wife Liz.
Historian
A passionate historian, Harry devotes his time to research and writing about the American Revolution and Colonial America, particularly the impact and incredible sacrifice by African Americans in the founding of our nation. Detail oriented, he is an avid reader of both fiction and non-fiction novels dealing with all aspects of history.
Publisher
Harry is principal contributor to Revolutionary War Journal where he posts his informative and well researched articles. A perfectionist always in pursuit of the truth, he spends countless hours pawing through national archives and old texts to chase down historical facts to their primary source. His website has among the largest collection of books on every aspect of colonial life and the American Revolutionary War.
Author
Harry’s action-packed historical novel series Shades of Liberty chronicles the story of African Americans fighting on both sides of the American Revolution. Reader comments include “riveting, captivating, compelling, gripping, and provocative.” The novels are informative, moving, at times shocking and enlightening as they “tell a story that needs to be told”: the incredible contribution and sacrifice African Americans made in the cause of freedom – this in the face of unfathomable bigotry and cruel injustice. Theirs’s was a fight against ignorance, greed and hatred that has been forged throughout recorded history, stretching its poisonous tentacles over the generations to the very foundation of present society and government.
Besides Historical Fiction, Harry has written and co-written several movie scripts that have been filmed or are in production in association with John Reign at Polestar Pictures. Movie information can be viewed on IMDB.
Background
A native of New Jersey, Harry studied fine arts at Montclair State University, receiving his Bachelors in Arts in Education. He received his Masters of Education degree at Temple University in Philadelphia, and was a doctoral fellow at the University of Colorado in Boulder where he taught classes and supervised student teachers. He taught at the University of Vermont, Middlebury College, State University of New York Plattsburg and Potsdam, the University of Arkansas, and Public Schools. Upon retirement from teaching, Harry is pursuing a life long passion as an historian; most particularly military and colonial American history. Harry’s favorite aspect of reading and writing about history is discovering and sharing crucial, awe-inspiring true stories that have been largely ignored or buried in the dusty pages of obscurity.
Contact
Contact Harry directly through shadesoflibertyseries@gmail.com or written comments on the web site Revolutionary War Journal
The Books:
Here, in Harry’s own words, is an introduction to the saga:
“Shades of Liberty chronicles the lives of two African Americans. Brothers born in turmoil and shackled to the whims of slave merchants, they are separated as infants by a cruel society that is merciless in humanity and insensitive in heart. Both will grow up confronting the horrors of slavery only to have fate lay before them a chance, no matter how slim, to slip the bonds of tyranny. Young adults in the American Revolution, they will choose the direction each believes will grant the promise of freedom…true freedom. It is an epic adventure that tells the untold story of the remarkable sacrifice by thousands of black soldiers in the American Revolution.
Josiah will look to the colonial rebels, fleeing his master to fight on the side that claims to cherish liberty as self evident. A braveve, honorable man of grit and integrity; he becomes a CONTINENTAL SOLDIER and fights for the Americans.
And Titus, Colonel Tye, who disavows what he sees as the empty promises of cloaked rhetoric, later made official in a document of independence drawn by rich white landowners, many if not all slaveholders. He runs from a brutal owner to accept the promise of freedom to all bondsmen who take up arms with the British. He becomes a ruthless assassin and the CROWN’S most feared guerrilla tactician, leading over 800 loyalists and former slaves committed to the British promise of freedom.
The Brothers bond, identical mysterious talisman that each wears around his neck.
Destiny demands they meet on the field of battle as war, slavery, love, and betrayal are woven into the brothers’ quest for liberty.
“Hope and despair thread the horrors of war in a story as old as the written word.”