“The bridges linking Manhattan Island with the outside world began blowing at precisely twelve minutes after three . . .”
Thus begins a novel that is like reading tomorrow morning’s newspaper today.
A great city lies under siege—and the nation is powerless to help it.
An expertly trained black militant army has taken over the island of Manhattan. Their goal: a separate state for African Americans.
The hero is Major General Stanley Shawcross, the brilliant black military leader of the takeover. The political leader of the rebellion is William Gray, a dedicated, seemingly fearless agitator who will use any means to win freedom for American blacks. His “enforcer,” Raymond Carpenter, is a militant poet—and terrorist.
Set against these men are a President whose understanding of black frustration makes his dilemma even more excruciating; a terrified Mayor who seems unable to act decisively; a black U.S. Army Colonel who is convinced that separation is the wrong answer for black Americans.
These are the characters who converge and clash during the three bloody days of the siege, in which the country’s racial polarization becomes frighteningly clear. You will see how the takeover is planned, prepared for, and carried off. The story builds from page to page, chapter to chapter, as the conflicting forces threaten to tear America apart.
Edwin Corley wrote SIEGE because he saw his country drifting toward disaster, a second American revolution that may be averted only if we realize what is happening behind the scenes.
“SIEGE is explosive—too powerful to be ignored.” —Chicago Sun-Times