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. In his latest work 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 eighteenth-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 of the ancient rituals and often 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.
“Birthright: The True Story That Inspired Kidnapped” will be released on Jan. 25, 2010. Ekirch will be discussing “Birthright” at the Library of Congress in the Mary Pickford Theater on April 15 at noon.