Before freedom became law, William Murrell lived in a world where other men could determine the value of his name, the meaning of a debt, and the direction of his family's future.

In Civil War–era Kentucky, William watches the country fracture around the same questions that have shaped his life. When the opportunity comes to enlist in the 109th United States Colored Infantry, he leaves behind Mary, his young son Samuel, and the only home he has ever known. His journey carries him from Kentucky to the trenches of Virginia, the final Appomattox Campaign, and postwar duty in Texas.

Along the way, William learns to read, to fight, to grieve, and to understand that freedom is not a single moment granted by a government or won on a battlefield. It is something practiced—in the right to read before signing, to search for those who were lost, to speak without fear, and to choose the road ahead.

Inspired by the documented military service of the author's ancestor, The Long Road to Freedom is a powerful historical novel about courage, family, literacy, Black military service, and the unfinished work of becoming free.