Sugarman

Step back to 1939, rural Edwards, Mississippi. A time when the colored and white communities crossed paths at the general store and through employment. This is the world of Andrew "Sugarman" Daniel. Sugarman may have been the first animal whisperer. He was constantly followed by a pack of dogs, pig, goat, sheep and his entourage once boasted a fox. Sugarman born Andrew Daniel January 10, 1900, was a storyteller. His tales often concealed morals without preaching. On a dark, rainy night in March 1939, Sugarman came upon a chasm where the Clear Creek Bridge had been. An 80 foot span of Highway 80, the main thoroughfare between Atlanta and Dallas and beyond had been washed out. Thirteen cars and one truck plunged into the surging debris laden waters and were swept downstream before other travelers could be stopped. Sugarman saved those he could. Twenty-four persons entered the creek that night, sixteen drowned. The following days and nights Sugarman served as a one man search and rescue team. Refusing to rest, he swam in and around log jams in swift moving unseasonably cold waters, searching for vehicles and bodies. No one knew the exact number of those missing. Sugarman gained national acclaim for his super human feat and heroism. Through the years that followed and up until his death June 7, 1969, he remained humble of his bravery even though those who knew him never forgot. The Clear Creek disaster remains today the worst traffic accident in Mississippi state history. SUGARMAN was inspired by true events and memories of those who knew him. SUGARMAN is written in the vernacular and is peppered with words typical of the times. If you liked 'The Color Purple' and 'Their Eyes Were Watching God' then you will love SUGARMAN. As one reader said, “The characters will get inside your head.”