Free and The Dead: The Untold Story of the Black Seminole Chief, the Indigenous Rebel, and America's Forgotten War
Jamie Holmes
Feb 2026 · Simon and Schuster
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About this audiobook
The page-turning and revelatory true story of America’s disastrous 1835 attack on the Seminoles in pre-statehood Florida, and the two men—a Black American and a renowned Indigenous warrior—who fought back for their homes and freedom, from the author of “eye-opening marvel of a book” (Alexander Rose, New York Times bestselling author) 12 Seconds of Silence.
From 1817 to 1858, a series of conflicts known as the Seminole Wars took place between the United States and the tribes of Florida as they battled for the land.
Within this unconquered territory, formerly enslaved mothers and fathers and Seminole families had lived side by side for generations, building communities in the interior, beyond the reach of the growing United States. But in 1835, the young country took up arms against them, seeking to forcibly remove all Indigenous people and return their allies to slavery. In the face of this terror, tribes and bands came together across racial lines to preserve their freedom from federal interference. As the fight waged on, two men—Abraham, a free Black American, and the esteemed Creek warrior Osceola—worked together to save their lands and their people, against overwhelming odds, from America’s formidable Army of the South.
A powerful and vivid exploration of an overlooked revolt and historical alliances between Afro-descendant families and Indigenous tribes, The Free and the Dead is a timeless work of history that sits alongside Empire of the Summer Moon and The Demon of Unrest.
From 1817 to 1858, a series of conflicts known as the Seminole Wars took place between the United States and the tribes of Florida as they battled for the land.
Within this unconquered territory, formerly enslaved mothers and fathers and Seminole families had lived side by side for generations, building communities in the interior, beyond the reach of the growing United States. But in 1835, the young country took up arms against them, seeking to forcibly remove all Indigenous people and return their allies to slavery. In the face of this terror, tribes and bands came together across racial lines to preserve their freedom from federal interference. As the fight waged on, two men—Abraham, a free Black American, and the esteemed Creek warrior Osceola—worked together to save their lands and their people, against overwhelming odds, from America’s formidable Army of the South.
A powerful and vivid exploration of an overlooked revolt and historical alliances between Afro-descendant families and Indigenous tribes, The Free and the Dead is a timeless work of history that sits alongside Empire of the Summer Moon and The Demon of Unrest.
About the author
Jamie Holmes is a writer and the author of the books The Free and the Dead, Nonsense, and 12 Seconds of Silence. His work has appeared in print or online in The New York Times, The New Yorker, Slate, WIRED, The Atlantic, and USA TODAY, among other publications. He holds an MIA from Columbia University’s School of International Affairs and previously worked at New America as a fellow and policy analyst in international development and served as a Future Tense Fellow. Prior to that he was a research coordinator at Harvard’s Department of Economics, where he focused on behavioral economics. He lives in Washington, DC. Visit JamieHolmesBooks.com for more information.
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