"Before this decisive night, I’d not fully appreciated the subtle line between inspiration and insanity. But now, with all our lives at risk, I found myself navigating that most perilous edge . . . " Inspired by the life of an unsung American hero and slave, Trouble the Water navigates the rich tributaries of courage, betrayal, and redemption. In his inspiring journey, Robert Smalls witnesses great privilege and suffering alongside his owner’s daughter and the dangerous son of a firebrand secessionist. At the age of twelve, he’s sent to work in Charleston, where he loads ships and learns to pilot a cotton steamer. When the Civil War erupts and his cotton steamer becomes a confederate warship, Robert seizes the opportunity to pursue freedom for himself and the people he loves. In her brilliant new novel, Trouble the Water, Rebecca Dwight Bruff skillfully uncovers an American odyssey, long lost in the camouflage of history. It is the unlikely journey of Robert Smalls, born a slave in Beaufort, South Carolina. While suffering the heartache and horrid indignities of chattel slavery, Smalls dreams of freedom for himself and his family. In what has to be one of the most daring and nail-biting escapes ever attempted in the low country, Smalls succeeds in changing the lives of many while becoming a Civil War hero and a paragon of civic leadership. Bruff gifts her readers a stunningly dramatic narrative. Gripping, heartrending and at last, inspirational. A testimony to hope through the darkest of times and a testimony to the triumph of the human spirit, not soon to be forgotten. Kudos to Rebecca Dwight Bruff! -- Jeffrey Blount, Emmy award-winning television director and a 2016 inductee to the Virginia Communications Hall of Fame. During a 34-year career at NBC News, Jeffrey directed a decade of Meet The Press, The Today Show, NBC Nightly News, The Chris Matthews Show and major special events. With this stunning debut novel, Rebecca Bruff establishes herself as an exciting new voice in historical fiction. ~ Cassandra King Conroy Debut author Rebecca Bruff has made her mark with this exceptional examination of family, freedom, and what it really means to fight for the light. ~ Julie Cantrell, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Perennials Rebecca Bruff's poignant portrayal of Robert Smalls is uplifting, engaging and inspiring. Her words flowed across the page as seamlessly and effortlessly as Smalls sailing across the Charleston Harbor to freedom. This man was a hero and his story is largely unknown. Now, more than ever, this part of our history needs to be told, read, and understood. So thankful to Bruff for bringing it into the forefront. ~ Cele and Lynn Seldon, authors of 100 Things to Do in Charleston Before You Die "I loved returning to the lowcountry, and my god, that writing toward the end about the tides: 'When the tide is out, all the way out, you can smell creation..' That passage made me breathless." ~ Robin Oliveira, author of New York Times bestseller My Name is Mary Sutter Rebecca Bruff heard the story of Robert Smalls on her first visit to South Carolina. She was so captivated that she left her job and moved across the country to research and write this novel. Bruff earned her bachelor's degree in education at Texas A&M and a master's and doctorate in theology at Southern Methodist University. In 2017, she was a scholarship recipient for the prestigious Key West Literary Seminar. She volunteers at the Pat Conroy Literary Center in Beaufort, South Carolina. She's published non-fiction, plays a little tennis, travels when she can, and loves life in the lowcountry with her husband and an exuberant golden retriever.