Based on historically accurate roots, this novel explores one New Yorker's involvement in his family's rice plantation and the wild tensions involved as he tries to right the wrong he sees at work in his family. Tracing the thread of slavery from 1500s Timbuktu up to the Civil War, Songs of Slaves in the Desert explores one man's struggle with the legacy of slavery and the loyalty of family, brought into sharp focus as he finds himself attracted to one young slave woman. A masterful writer, Cheuse grapples with the nether parts of our history and the wild nature of love, especially by those held closest in chains. Praise for To Catch the Lightning: "Compelling fiction that digs deep into the mystery and sacrifice and selfishness of creative vision." -Charles Frazier, author of Cold Mountain and Thirteen Moons "Vivid and poignant...Cheuse's ambitious historical novel illuminates one man's heroic obsession and the perpetual dichotomies of duty and dream, discovery, and loss."-Booklist