Additional information
by Joe Biel (Author)
During the Civil War, the enslaved Black crew of a Confederate ship was left to sleep on board overnight. Following a carefully laid plan, they picked up their families and sailed behind Union lines under a white flag, winning their freedom and capturing the ship for the north. Robert Smalls was their daring, 23-year-old leader. He went on to have a long, celebrated career as a soldier, businessman, investor, and politician, including five terms in congress. This is the story of a brilliant man who bucked the system and gained power not just for himself, but for his entire community.
Author Biography
Joe Biel is a self-made autistic publisher and filmmaker who draws origins, inspiration, and methods from punk rock. Biel is the founder and CEO of Microcosm Publishing, Publishers Weekly's #1 fastest growing publisher of 2022. Biel has been featured in Time Magazine, NPR, Publishers Weekly, Art of Autism, Reading Glasses, PBS, Bulletproof Radio, Spectator (Japan), G33K (Korea), and Maximum Rocknroll. Biel is the author of People's Guide to Publishing: Building a Successful, Sustainable, Meaningful Book Business, Good Trouble: Building a Successful Life & Business on the Spectrum, Manspressions: Decoding Men's Behavior, Make a Zine, The CIA Makes Science Fiction Unexciting, Proud to be Retarded, Bicycle Culture Rising, and more. Biel is the director of five feature films and hundreds of short films, including Aftermass: Bicycling in a Post-Critical Mass Portland, $100 & A T-Shirt, and the Groundswell film series. Biel lives in Portland, Ore. Find out more at joebiel.net
