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Who Was . . . ? Series
Who Was Harriet Tubman?
Born a slave in Maryland, Harriet Tubman knew first-hand what it meant to be someone's property; she was whipped by owners and almost killed by an overseer. It was from other field hands that she first heard about the Underground Railroad which she travelled by herself north to Philadelphia. Throughout her long life (she died at the age of ninety-two) and long after the Civil War brought an end to slavery, this amazing woman was proof of what just one person can do.
106 pages, Paperback
First published August 15, 2002
299 people are currently reading
1425 people want to read
About the author
Yona Zeldis McDonough
53 books234 followersI live in Park Slope, Brooklyn and many of my novels take place here. But my new novel takes place in New Hampshire, and I have woven into it a historical component: the tragic story of Ruth Blay, who in 1768 was the last woman hanged in the state. When I read about Ruth, I was fascinated and horrified in equal measure, and I knew I had to write about her.
I was educated at Vassar College and Columbia University, where I studied art history. But I started writing fiction in my 20's and never looked back. I am the author of seven novels, 27 books for children and am the editor of two essay collections. I'm also the fiction editor of Lilith Magazine . Please visit my website, http://www.yonazeldismcdonough.com or find me on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/yzmcdonough; I love to connect with readers everywhere.
I was educated at Vassar College and Columbia University, where I studied art history. But I started writing fiction in my 20's and never looked back. I am the author of seven novels, 27 books for children and am the editor of two essay collections. I'm also the fiction editor of Lilith Magazine . Please visit my website, http://www.yonazeldismcdonough.com or find me on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/yzmcdonough; I love to connect with readers everywhere.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 272 reviews
July 19, 2024
Harriet Tubman = Wonder woman!
EXCERPT:"Along with the black regiments, there was a new role for Harriet. Colonel James Montgomery asked if she could be a scout for his black troops. In effect, he was asking her to be a spy. Harriet was a perfect choice. As a small, black woman, she looked harmless. She could slip behind enemy lines and approach black people who were with their masters in the Confederate army. They would trust her and possibly share information about the Southern army. This information could help the Union cause.
Harriet became Commander of Intelligence Operations for the Union army's Department of the South. Nine scouts were under her command. She was in charge of an area that stretched from South Carolina to Florida. Though the white men she led weren't used to reporting to a black woman, they quickly came to respect and admire her." (Pages 77, 78 and 79)
EXCERPT:"Along with the black regiments, there was a new role for Harriet. Colonel James Montgomery asked if she could be a scout for his black troops. In effect, he was asking her to be a spy. Harriet was a perfect choice. As a small, black woman, she looked harmless. She could slip behind enemy lines and approach black people who were with their masters in the Confederate army. They would trust her and possibly share information about the Southern army. This information could help the Union cause.
Harriet became Commander of Intelligence Operations for the Union army's Department of the South. Nine scouts were under her command. She was in charge of an area that stretched from South Carolina to Florida. Though the white men she led weren't used to reporting to a black woman, they quickly came to respect and admire her." (Pages 77, 78 and 79)
February 10, 2019
Please consider reading a different title to learn about Harriet Tubman. This book has some content that can be misleading to readers with limited knowledge and understanding about slavery. On page 7 it says "Even though she was a slave, Minty was happy." This passage and others are racist and problematic in many ways. Consider learning more about Harriet Tubman from a title written by an African American author.
December 1, 2022
This book was really interesting and informative. It has pieced together so much history for me that I didn't realise I was interested in at the time. It was a really quick read with so much info. I loved it.
June 4, 2017
5 Stars
I always love the who was books simply because I always learn something that I never knew before. These books are always fun to read and you always learn something about that person after you read it. I have read many books of these and I love them all there is not one single one that I don't like. I love these books so much.
I always love the who was books simply because I always learn something that I never knew before. These books are always fun to read and you always learn something about that person after you read it. I have read many books of these and I love them all there is not one single one that I don't like. I love these books so much.
January 11, 2017
Who Was Harriet Tubman? by Yona Zeldis McDonough goes into a lot of personal information I did not know about Harriet. This book is filled with details and interesting personal info about her life that probably won't be found in a normal history book. By the end of the book, I felt I had a stronger sense of who Harriet was as a person. Great job. Fantastic book for a fantastic woman.
February 12, 2019
"Even though she was a slave, Minty was happy." - page 7
Fucking unacceptable in every way. Hearkens back to my very white, private Southern Baptist high school with all its Confederacy apologists rhetoric BULLSHIT. "Some slave owners treated their slaves kindly. Some slaves were happy. BLAH FUCKING RACIST BLAH."
Happy to report that we're getting rid of this trash at my library. BOOK, BYE.
Fucking unacceptable in every way. Hearkens back to my very white, private Southern Baptist high school with all its Confederacy apologists rhetoric BULLSHIT. "Some slave owners treated their slaves kindly. Some slaves were happy. BLAH FUCKING RACIST BLAH."
Happy to report that we're getting rid of this trash at my library. BOOK, BYE.
February 8, 2019
"Even though she was a slave, Minty was happy." - page 7
Shameful. This essentially teaches young children of any race who read this book that oppression - in this case, being owned by another human being- can be acceptable.
Shameful. This essentially teaches young children of any race who read this book that oppression - in this case, being owned by another human being- can be acceptable.
May 17, 2023
Who Was Harriet Tubman? [2002] - ★★★★1/2
This series of books illustrates the lives of notable people for children. Who Was Harriet Tubman? talks about the life and achievements of one slave woman, born 1822, in the US who helped many black people in slavery become free. In a very simple language, it explains that Harriet Tubman ("The Moses of Her People") was a fiercely independent young woman who always stood up for her people. She had dreams of freedom and and one day managed to escape her master, travelling on the Underground Railroad. She returned many times to the South, though, guiding some seventy other slaves to their freedom to the North, including devising their roots of escape, communicating with abolitionists and Quakers, and both physically and symbolically paving their road to freedom. She worked as a nurse, as a spy and also as the Commander of Intelligence Operations for the Union's Army Department of the South. She was a passionate activist for equality, too, and later also campaigned for women's rights. The story is mixed with some information on Tubman's time period, for example, explaining abolitionists and Quakers. Though it is a great idea to introduce children to notable and courageous people who made a positive difference to other people's lives in a simple story format, I also thought that some aspects of the story were over-simplified, while others will be unsuitable for young children.
This series of books illustrates the lives of notable people for children. Who Was Harriet Tubman? talks about the life and achievements of one slave woman, born 1822, in the US who helped many black people in slavery become free. In a very simple language, it explains that Harriet Tubman ("The Moses of Her People") was a fiercely independent young woman who always stood up for her people. She had dreams of freedom and and one day managed to escape her master, travelling on the Underground Railroad. She returned many times to the South, though, guiding some seventy other slaves to their freedom to the North, including devising their roots of escape, communicating with abolitionists and Quakers, and both physically and symbolically paving their road to freedom. She worked as a nurse, as a spy and also as the Commander of Intelligence Operations for the Union's Army Department of the South. She was a passionate activist for equality, too, and later also campaigned for women's rights. The story is mixed with some information on Tubman's time period, for example, explaining abolitionists and Quakers. Though it is a great idea to introduce children to notable and courageous people who made a positive difference to other people's lives in a simple story format, I also thought that some aspects of the story were over-simplified, while others will be unsuitable for young children.
March 14, 2016
Informative - not terribly well written. I think Lily found it very instructive and rightly horrifying. She has decided to be a Quaker for Halloween. Also, she said (before the chapter of this title) "Mommy, she is just like Moses - leading people out of slavery".
June 15, 2018
harriet Tubman had persistence because when she runway she kept going back to free go, slaves,
February 25, 2020
My kids and I have been reading through many of these books. We enjoy them a great deal. This month we're specifically reading volumes that pertain to black history in America, so that my kids can come to better understand the role these heroes played in the development of American society. Tubman's story is often unsung, so we all found her story inspiring.
March 10, 2021
This book is very good and if you have read it all you know that it teaches you about perseverance and to never give up. It also teaches you about the history of slave even more than you've already learned. And if you come across this book i highly recommend that you rad this book.
January 28, 2025
In current times, we need to absorb as much information as possible about our true history
February 14, 2021
Really good! But it's also really sad what she goes through to be free and to bring other people to freedom. She is so inspiring even though I'm not African American.
April 19, 2020
A must read for all young people. What an amazing woman. Why didn't I know more about her?
March 1, 2013
SUMMARY:
Who Was Harriet Tubman? by Yona Zeldis McDonough is a great African-American history book for kids! Harriet Tubman, born Araminta "Minty" Harriet Ross, was probably one of the bravest African-American women of her time! After being a cruelly treated slave for a long while, she decides that she has had enough, and she ran up to the north. When Harriet got there, though, she realized--she was the only one. No one she knew was there--she was alone. So...being the courageous woman she was, Harriet went back down to the South. She knew other people needed her help. Did Harriet survive the journey?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
"As a student at Vassar College, I never once took a writing course. I was not accepted into the poetry workshop I applied to, so I avoided all other writing classes, and instead focused on literature, language and art history, which was my declared major. I was so taken with the field that I decided to pursue my studies on a graduate level. I enrolled in a PhD program at Columbia University where I have to confess that I was miserable. I didn’t like the teachers, the students or the classes. I found graduate school the antithesis of undergraduate education; while the latter encouraged experimentation, growth, expansion, the former seemed to demand a kind of narrowing of focus and a rigidity that was simply at odds with my soul. It was like business school without the reward of a well-paying job at the end." (piece of Yona Zeldis Mc Donough's biogragraphy @ http://www.yonazeldismcdonough.com/co...)
MY OPINION:
I really like how this book is nonfiction and it's interesting too! Most nonfiction books don't really seem that interesting to me, but this book was more like a story. This series is great for all ages! I also thought that some of the parts of the book were kind of sad, but not too sad for younger children to handle. I can't wait to read more of the "Who Was" series--plus I love learning about black history!
Who was Harriet Tubman? Well, now I know. :)
★★★★ 4/5 stars!
Blogs: KBR and KKR
http://amazon.com/author/kristinacardoza
www.KristinaCardoza.com
www.facebook.com/KristinaCardozaChild...
Who Was Harriet Tubman? by Yona Zeldis McDonough is a great African-American history book for kids! Harriet Tubman, born Araminta "Minty" Harriet Ross, was probably one of the bravest African-American women of her time! After being a cruelly treated slave for a long while, she decides that she has had enough, and she ran up to the north. When Harriet got there, though, she realized--she was the only one. No one she knew was there--she was alone. So...being the courageous woman she was, Harriet went back down to the South. She knew other people needed her help. Did Harriet survive the journey?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
"As a student at Vassar College, I never once took a writing course. I was not accepted into the poetry workshop I applied to, so I avoided all other writing classes, and instead focused on literature, language and art history, which was my declared major. I was so taken with the field that I decided to pursue my studies on a graduate level. I enrolled in a PhD program at Columbia University where I have to confess that I was miserable. I didn’t like the teachers, the students or the classes. I found graduate school the antithesis of undergraduate education; while the latter encouraged experimentation, growth, expansion, the former seemed to demand a kind of narrowing of focus and a rigidity that was simply at odds with my soul. It was like business school without the reward of a well-paying job at the end." (piece of Yona Zeldis Mc Donough's biogragraphy @ http://www.yonazeldismcdonough.com/co...)
MY OPINION:
I really like how this book is nonfiction and it's interesting too! Most nonfiction books don't really seem that interesting to me, but this book was more like a story. This series is great for all ages! I also thought that some of the parts of the book were kind of sad, but not too sad for younger children to handle. I can't wait to read more of the "Who Was" series--plus I love learning about black history!
Who was Harriet Tubman? Well, now I know. :)
★★★★ 4/5 stars!
Blogs: KBR and KKR
http://amazon.com/author/kristinacardoza
www.KristinaCardoza.com
www.facebook.com/KristinaCardozaChild...
December 7, 2014
My eight-year-old daughter discovered Yona Zeldis McDonough’s Who Was Harriet Tubman? while sifting through the books handed down to her from our generous teen neighbor. She was excited to make this find because she had already read McDonough’s Who Was Rosa Parks? at school. Her passionate recommendation regarding this series was, “It’s not like you don’t want to read these books,” said in a hurried speech. Hey, this more than works for me.
My daughter allowed me to read Who Was Harriet Tubman? first because she is currently reading Janet B. Pascal’s Who Was Abraham Lincoln?. I read Who Was Harriet Tubman? in one sitting; it was that good.
Not only did I learn crucial biographical facts, but I also heard Tubman’s voice through key quotes. When finally a free woman, Tubman declared, “‘I looked at my hands to see if I was the same person now that I was free. There was such a glory over everything, the sun came like gold through the trees and over the fields and I felt like I was in heaven’” (45). As a spy in the Union army, Tubman concludes, “”I made up my mind [that] I would never wear a long dress on another expedition . . . but would have a bloomer as soon as I could get it’” (82). My kind of lady . . .
With illustrations by Nancy Harrison which further reinforce Tubman’s story, this is an ideal book for even the reluctant reader.
My next assigned reading [from my third-grader] is What Is the Statue of Liberty? by Joan Holub. I am looking forward to uncovering what all I had failed to learn or simply forgotten since my time in third grade.
My daughter allowed me to read Who Was Harriet Tubman? first because she is currently reading Janet B. Pascal’s Who Was Abraham Lincoln?. I read Who Was Harriet Tubman? in one sitting; it was that good.
Not only did I learn crucial biographical facts, but I also heard Tubman’s voice through key quotes. When finally a free woman, Tubman declared, “‘I looked at my hands to see if I was the same person now that I was free. There was such a glory over everything, the sun came like gold through the trees and over the fields and I felt like I was in heaven’” (45). As a spy in the Union army, Tubman concludes, “”I made up my mind [that] I would never wear a long dress on another expedition . . . but would have a bloomer as soon as I could get it’” (82). My kind of lady . . .
With illustrations by Nancy Harrison which further reinforce Tubman’s story, this is an ideal book for even the reluctant reader.
My next assigned reading [from my third-grader] is What Is the Statue of Liberty? by Joan Holub. I am looking forward to uncovering what all I had failed to learn or simply forgotten since my time in third grade.
October 13, 2014
My daughter and I read this together last week over the course of 2 days. It's a relatively short, but powerful read.
Harriet's bravery stuck out the most to my daughter. She put her own life at risk many times, even as a very young woman. Her courage was remarkable. The author did not try to hide the unpleasantness of her life, including when she came back to rescue her husband and she found he had married another woman. While this fact shocked my daughter, I think it's important information for young girls to absorb in the midst of Barbie and Disney movies.
Harriet was her own heroine. And, she saved hundreds of men and women despite her personal limitations.
The book did a very good job on putting a human face on the horrifics of slavery. Like most eight-year-olds, she was aware that slavery existed, however, prior to reading this book, I don't think she had any understanding of what life as a slave actually entailed.
My daughter was also thrilled to see how Harriet's path crossed with Susan B. Anthony's, who we just finished reading about it in another book.
We fell in love with Harriet. We both cried when she died at the end.
This was truly a great read, even for grown ups.
Harriet's bravery stuck out the most to my daughter. She put her own life at risk many times, even as a very young woman. Her courage was remarkable. The author did not try to hide the unpleasantness of her life, including when she came back to rescue her husband and she found he had married another woman. While this fact shocked my daughter, I think it's important information for young girls to absorb in the midst of Barbie and Disney movies.
Harriet was her own heroine. And, she saved hundreds of men and women despite her personal limitations.
The book did a very good job on putting a human face on the horrifics of slavery. Like most eight-year-olds, she was aware that slavery existed, however, prior to reading this book, I don't think she had any understanding of what life as a slave actually entailed.
My daughter was also thrilled to see how Harriet's path crossed with Susan B. Anthony's, who we just finished reading about it in another book.
We fell in love with Harriet. We both cried when she died at the end.
This was truly a great read, even for grown ups.
February 8, 2018
It's hard to not like anything that shares HT's story. What a woman. However, I have to say that in several cases I was astonished at how nice the author made slavery sound and her characterization of American hero, Nat Turner was negative and stank of white privilege.
April 25, 2020
This title has a target audience of young adults ages 10 - 14, as it provides some simple history, but on a very heavy subject. The story starts with Harriet's birth around 1820 in Maryland. Harriet was a slave, and therefore had no rights and was considered property. Yet, her mother, hoped one day that she would learn to cook or weave, so that she would be spared the hard work on the plantation. The book then goes into a brief history flashback of the Atlantic Slave Trade coming to North America, with the first slaves arriving in 1619, and the history of the slave trade in the Chesapeake region of the United States. Then it describes the big plantation Harriet lives on, with the Big House of her planter slave owners, and the tiny log cabin slave quarters Harriet lives in with worn-out blankets for beds. Then, when Harriet turns six, her owner, Mr. Brodas "hires her out". Which meant that she was rented by another family to work as a weaver. As Harriet was rented out from person to person, she was sometimes whipped for misbehavior. One day, she saw a fellow slave escape, and it puts in her mind the idea to escape. Yet other slaves tried and were caught and killed. Through tremendous bravery, Harriet decides to attempt an escape, and succeeds in escaping Philadelphia. Yet, immediately she puts her own life on the line to go back to rescue her family. Harriet's character transforms throughout the story, as Harriet begins to get visions from God that shapes her notion of her own purpose on Earth. She decides she was put where she was to liberate as many slaves as she could, as Moses did in the Bible. Even when the Fugitive Slave law passes in 1850, Harriet makes more and more raids into the deep South to rescue slaves. And when the Civil War broke out, she served in the Union army, as a nurse, and then a spy, rescuing hundreds of slaves in the course of her duty... The book was simply, yet beautifully written, and is a wonderful true story of non-fiction history and selflessness. This is one of those stories that does not have to be sensationalized, as the true story is one of such bravery that you could not make it up. I would recommend this book to any young reader that is studying U.S. History, planning on studying U.S. History, or simply looking for a story with an inspiring hero. The illustrations on every page helps tell the history of a severe subject in a way that can teach young people of the severity of the situation, yet keep the story light enough for the young reader to not be turned off by it. Excellent for its genre - 5/5
April 9, 2020
It's been many years since I've read anything about Harriet Tubman, and I'm not familiar with this series of biographies for young readers, so I borrowed the book for our neighborhood little lending library. I started out thinking that this would be good to use with kids, but by the end I had decided that I'd want to see if I had other choices.
I'm sure the author struggled with how much to portray about slavery to a young audience. But to say that the children played and had fun and that Minty's childhood was 'happy?' (p 7) That's a stretch.
Interspersed through the book are boxed text of additional info; all written at a higher reading level. The 10 topics introduced this way are:
1. Bought and Sold (slave markets)
2. Nat Turner's Rebellion
3. Cotton and Tobacco
4. Abolitionists
5. Quakers
6. Vigilance Committees
7. The Combahee River Invasion (no words, 2 page art)
8. Frederick Douglass
9. Constitutional Amendments
10. Two of a Kind: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony
These sections overweight an already heavy concept load. I was tempted to go through and list examples of all the 'heavy terms' that are used in one chapter, but I've said enough.
I'm sure the author struggled with how much to portray about slavery to a young audience. But to say that the children played and had fun and that Minty's childhood was 'happy?' (p 7) That's a stretch.
Interspersed through the book are boxed text of additional info; all written at a higher reading level. The 10 topics introduced this way are:
1. Bought and Sold (slave markets)
2. Nat Turner's Rebellion
3. Cotton and Tobacco
4. Abolitionists
5. Quakers
6. Vigilance Committees
7. The Combahee River Invasion (no words, 2 page art)
8. Frederick Douglass
9. Constitutional Amendments
10. Two of a Kind: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony
These sections overweight an already heavy concept load. I was tempted to go through and list examples of all the 'heavy terms' that are used in one chapter, but I've said enough.
February 13, 2019
As a child and an adult, I have read a couple of books and articles on Harriet Tubman. I have not read all this book. Nor do I plan to. I took a look at some of the pages, and saw some disturbing statements about the life of the slaves. For instance on page 7, describing Minty: “Even though she was a slave, Minty was happy.“
This statement in a book written for children ages 8 to 12, is disturbing, to say the least. It’s not like it was written in the 30s or the 50s. This book was written in 2002. If the author was trying to say that sometimes Minty experienced happy times, then that is what the author should have stated. But to simply say that despite being a slave, she was happy, is way too simplistic even for 8-to 12-year-olds.
I plan to review every book I read to my grandchild. This type of narrative, and the systems that allow this narrative to have passed through editorial reviews, and that allow for this narrative to continue to be told, and that allow this book to be on the shelves on public OR private schools, is called whitewashing.
This statement in a book written for children ages 8 to 12, is disturbing, to say the least. It’s not like it was written in the 30s or the 50s. This book was written in 2002. If the author was trying to say that sometimes Minty experienced happy times, then that is what the author should have stated. But to simply say that despite being a slave, she was happy, is way too simplistic even for 8-to 12-year-olds.
I plan to review every book I read to my grandchild. This type of narrative, and the systems that allow this narrative to have passed through editorial reviews, and that allow for this narrative to continue to be told, and that allow this book to be on the shelves on public OR private schools, is called whitewashing.
January 24, 2021
This was a great account of an admirable woman, illustrating her bravery, tenacity, and selflessness. I knew about Harriet Tubman's role in the Underground Railroad and that she was called "Moses." But I was happy to learn more about her from this book. For example, I did not know much about her role in the Union army during the Civil War, or about her first husband, a free black man who refused to flee north with her, even threatening to turn her in. This book was full of interesting information, including personal details that help the reader connect with this great historical figure.
September 14, 2019
As usual with this series, it was excellently done.
I didn’t really learn anything new about Harriet Tubman but it was presented well. Tubman’s strength and will of character. What struck me the most was how her brothers were too scared to go so she went off by herself. She never let fear get the best of her.
Glad to add this book to my class library!
I didn’t really learn anything new about Harriet Tubman but it was presented well. Tubman’s strength and will of character. What struck me the most was how her brothers were too scared to go so she went off by herself. She never let fear get the best of her.
Glad to add this book to my class library!
March 17, 2020
It was great. I learned lots of things.
January 14, 2021
Love this book you can read it and know it is real
April 8, 2021
So inspiring!! This is a beautiful book about Harriet Tubman and her bravery, as well as everyone on the Underground Railroad.
September 30, 2022
My Second grader loved it and shared many facts about her after reading.
January 23, 2024
What I thought about the book was Harriet Tubman was a brave and strong woman. She would not let anything get in her way or stop her from what she wanted to achieve. Harriet worked for everything she wanted. Like say she wanted to help other black people and she did. I would recommend the book because There is so much information about her life that was wonderful to learn and I did not know who was Harriet till I read this book.
February 2, 2024
Harriet Tubman was a brave women she has a scare on her forehead. She got marred to john Tubman. She ran away to the north and then she kept going back to the south, and taking more slaves back and she came back for her parents. Now she is going back for her husband and he has a new wife. Harriet Tubman was beat and she made a quilt. This is a wonderful book it also has a time line in the back of the book. I like how it had the war between the north and the south and how Harriet helped in the war as a spy. Harriet was a happy helper. if you like this book let me know.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 272 reviews