Fire on the Beach

David Wright is Assistant Professor of English and African American Studies at the University of Illinois. The recipient of the Zora Neale Hurston/Richard Wright Award, he has written for The Southern Review, The Kenyon Review, and the African American Review. David Zoby teaches at Casper College in Wyoming. His work has appeared in The Southern Poetry Review, the Georgia State Review, and elsewhere.

• Part One: Richard Etheridge -"A Man Among Men"1. Youth: The Outer Banks2. War3. Wild's December Raid4. Point Lookout: The Bottom Rail on Top5. Before Richmond: In the Trenches6. Armistice: Texas7. HomePart Two: "National Calamity" or "National Crime'? -The LIfe-Saving Service Founders in North Carolina8. The Life-Saving Service in North Carolina9. North Carolina's Lifesaving Woes10. The Reformation of the Sixth District11. Segregation for the Good of "Progress"12. Fire on the BeachPart Three: The Life of a Surfman13. The Portrait of a Surfman14. Life at the Station15. Patrolling the Beach16. No. 1717. Pressures Particular to Pea Island Surfman18. The Right Men in the Right Place19. Their Finest Hour: The Wreck of the E. S. Newman, October 11, 1896Epilogue

"The riveting, previously untold story of the extraordinary heroism of former slaves and freedmen who became lifesavers on the Outer Banks of North Carolina...battling prejudice as well as the great storms that made these barrier islands 'The Graveyard of the Atlantic.'"--St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Best Books of 2001"Far more than the story of heroic surfmen....A rich social history of 19th century race relations mirrored in the life of a remarkable African American....A compelling read about heroes and scoundrels, seafarers and soldiers...and prejudice towards those who strove to prove themselves equals."--The Virginian-Pilot"Explore[s] not only the life-saving record of the Pea Island crew, but also the discrimination that burdened the crew members' lives and the social history of those times."--The Richmond Times-Dispatch"Adds significantly to our understanding of the many essential ways in which African-Americans have served their country."--The Washington Post Book World"Reads more like a novel than a work of history."--The News and Observer"Readers who enjoy true-life adventures like Isaac's Storm should find it enthralling."--Wilmington Star-News"Social history at its readable best."--The Memphis Flyer"The authors explore not only the life-saving record of the Pea Island crew, but also the discrimination that burdened the crew members' lives and the social history of those times....Readers will want the whole story Wright and Zoby have so ably researched and narrated."--The Richmond Times-Dispatch"The authors have brought to life an important chapter in regional seafaring history....Fire on the Beach is far more than the story of heroic surfmen. It is a rich social history of 19th century race relations mirrored in the life of a remarkable African-American....A compelling read about heroes and scoundrels, seafarers and soldiers, pride in doing a job and prejudice toward those who strove to prove themselves equals."--The Virginian Pilot"A story that has been long overdue in its telling."--Black Issues Book Review