ma•roon con•scious•ness n. the ultimate expression of personal freedom and power, characterized by self‐definition, self‐discovery, and commitment to a sustainable value system which is the antithesis of individualism, consumerism, and materialism.

Featured Book

Obi: Seminole Maroon Freedom Fighter

By Martha R. Bireda

Illustrated by Anne Shively

blue ocean press ‐ June 2014

Trade paperback (Color) 5.5” x 8.5”   106 Pages

ISBN: 978‐4‐902837‐03‐2

13.95 USD/8.00GBP

Obi: Seminole Maroon Freedom Fighter is a fictionalized account of the daring escape of a 15 year old enslaved young man and his friends from a cotton plantation in South Carolina who find refuge among the Seminoles of Florida. The story follows Obi’s meeting with the mysterious African Quashee, his transformation from slave to freedom seeker and his escape to Florida. Through the “learnings” provided by Quashee, Obi develops the traits essential for his becoming a Maroon leader, establishing a Maroon village, his fighting in the Gullah Wars of Independence, going to Indian Territory out West, and his subsequent escape to Mexico. Obi: Seminole Maroon Freedom Fighter has been reviewed and recommended by a team of educators.

About the Author: Martha R. Bireda, Ph.D., is the Founder and Executive Director of the Blanchard House Museum of African American History and Culture of Charlotte County (FL). She is Director of the Museumʹs Maroon Study Center, and the New Image Project, a project dedicated to positive identity development of youth of color. She is the author of six books including The Trabue Woods Book of Values, a book for youth designed to teach lessons in values and character. Dr. Bireda is also an Alternate Commissioner for the Gullah‐Geechee Historical Corridor.

About blue ocean press: blue ocean press is an imprint of Aoishima Research Institute (ARI). ARIʹs publishing imprint, blue ocean press, publishes primarily fiction and non‐fiction titles for academia, government, and the general book trade.

blue ocean press is now developing its Young Adult list within the genre of creative non‐fiction. ARI exhibits at the Frankfurt Bookmesse annually, and also attends the Helsinki Book Fair, Tokyo Book Fair, Manila Book Fair, Chennai Book Fair, and Colombo Book Fair. This year, blue ocean press plans to attend the Guadalajara Book Festival to introduce its Maroon Consciousness Book Series into the Spanish and Portuguese reading markets.

Email : [email protected]

Website: http://www.blueoceanpublications.com