Slavery, “the peculiar institution,” was practiced throughout the New World, but Fradin concentrates on the slaves who escaped, and provides, as much as possible, biographies of those who had the courage to face the awful consequences should they have been returned to slavery. By the same token, he makes very clear the inhumanity and destructive capabilities of those who “owned” other humans—people separated from their bond masters by color and the fact that they were mere merchandise. They were first sold by African tribal people of the same color to Europeans of different skin color and religion. The narratives are based on the stories of 16 people who dared to escape from bondage previous to the Underground Railroad as well as during its existence. Illustrated with period prints, the biographies are moving, touching—and devastating, even as the life of a slave was devastating to his or her humanity. Julius Lester’s To Be a Slave would be a fine companion to Fradin’s work. Scholarly paraphernalia includes Web sites, bibliography, and index, but the author provides neither footnotes nor backnotes to the narratives and his brief introductory discussions. Dates within, or introductory, to the narratives would have been helpful as would have commentary on the period illustrations (e.g., cuts of Eliza from Uncle Tom’s Cabin, crossing the ice showing her as a Caucasian, might have been helpful to the less-informed). Other than this lack of notes or commentary, this personal and affecting account would be a model. Even so, it is moving and enlightening. (Nonfiction. 11+)
Pub Date: Oct. 16, 2000
ISBN: 0-395-97017-2
Page Count: 202
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2000
Small but mighty necessary reading.
A miniature manifesto for radical queer acceptance that weaves together the personal and political.
Eli, a cis gay white Jewish man, uses his own identities and experiences to frame and acknowledge his perspective. In the prologue, Eli compares the global Jewish community to the global queer community, noting, “We don’t always get it right, but the importance of showing up for other Jews has been carved into the DNA of what it means to be Jewish. It is my dream that queer people develop the same ideology—what I like to call a Global Queer Conscience.” He details his own isolating experiences as a queer adolescent in an Orthodox Jewish community and reflects on how he and so many others would have benefitted from a robust and supportive queer community. The rest of the book outlines 10 principles based on the belief that an expectation of mutual care and concern across various other dimensions of identity can be integrated into queer community values. Eli’s prose is clear, straightforward, and powerful. While he makes some choices that may be divisive—for example, using the initialism LGBTQIAA+ which includes “ally”—he always makes clear those are his personal choices and that the language is ever evolving.
Small but mighty necessary reading. (resources) (Nonfiction. 14-18)Pub Date: June 2, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-09368-9
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2020
Historical fiction examines the famous case of Emmett Till, whose murder was one of the triggers of the civil-rights movement. Hiram Hillburn knows R.C. Rydell is evil. He watches R.C. mutilate a catfish, but does nothing to stop him. “I didn’t want to end up like that fish,” he says. He watches R.C. throw stones at a neighbor’s house and humiliate 14-year-old Emmett Till, an African-American visitor from Chicago, and still he does nothing. Hiram says, “When things are scary or dangerous, it’s hard to see clear what to do.” When Till is brutally murdered, Hiram is sure R.C. is involved. Hiram, a white teenager who has come back to the Mississippi town where his father grew up, is the narrator and the perspective of the white outsider and the layers of his moral reflection make this an excellent examination of a difficult topic. When the case comes to trial, Hiram knows he must face his own trial: can he stand up to evil and do the right thing? He knows Mr. Paul, the local storeowner, is right: “Figure out what’s right and what’s wrong, and make yourself do the right thing. Do that and no matter what happens, no matter what people say, you’ll have no regrets.” This is a complicated thing to do, as Hiram must summon inner strength and come to terms with who he is—the son of an English professor who hates everything about the South and the grandson of a farmer who loves everything about it. Teen readers will find themselves caught up in Hiram’s very real struggle to do the right thing. (Fiction. YA)
Pub Date: May 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-8037-2745-3
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2002
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