York's Journal: A Novel

York’s Journal tells the story of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, from the point-of-view of the only slave to accompany the Corps of Discovery. When the story begins, York, Captain William Clark’s servant, has secretly learned to read and write. After Clark announces he will take him into the wilderness, York decides to keep a journal, as several other members of the Expedition are urged to do by President Thomas Jefferson. York must hide his knowledge of letters, and on the journey he finds only infrequent opportunities to write. But his journal becomes an important means of self-discovery, and while the Expedition winters at Fort Clatsop, it intensifies his longing to be free. His friendships and love affairs with Native Americans convince him he can find a home in the wilderness until a surprising complication intervenes.