North Star to Freedom

by Gena K. Gorrell, Rosemary Brown (Foreword)

Miranda is a good little girl. But when her favorite waffles are replaced by eggs and bacon, her alter ego and new friend, Lucretia, bubbles to the surface and takes over. Lucretia likes being in charge, and Miranda isn't sure how to become herself again.

Genres: Civil War, Nonfiction, American History

184 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1997

Reviews

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This a very good book about slavery. It has a lot of good stories about slaves getting their freedom.
I recommend this book.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 to 4 stars

This book was packed full of information and divided into manageable chapters and sections. This division made it easy to navigate all the stories and facts.

There were also a lot of personal stories of escaped and freed slaves shared which brought a very personal aspect to the book.

My only complaint would be that the facts and information accompanying the illustrations and photographs seemed quite lengthy and at times interrupted the text.

[Meghan Agresto · Rating 5 out of 5]

My kids read this at school and I picked it up just to glance and couldn't put it down. Well done!

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

wonderful book to read, explains how the Underground Railroad came to be and the brave people who helped so many using the railroad to escape.

[Lorraine Montgomery · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book that details a brief history of slavery in early times to the beginning of massive transportation of slaves by ship by the Portuguese in the 1500s, to the present, with emphasis on the life of the slaves in North America including Canada, which is often overlooked and less known.

The foreward by Rosemary Brown (1930 - 2003), a Jamaican-born Canadian politician who was the first black woman ever to run for the leadership of a federal political party, finishing a strong second to Ed Broadbent, finishes with:

The quest for freedom is not over. The story of the Underground Railroad allows us to honor those who came before it, while it inspires us to address injustices in our own troubled times.

This is not a dry retelling of facts and figures but a riveting account with many true, personal stories, particularly of ex-slaves, many of whom participated in liberating other slaves via the Underground Railway. There are many pictures of documents such as handbills advertising the sale of slaves, offering rewards for runaway slaves, others warning slaves not to talk to police who might be agents trying to get rewards for betraying runaways, and a map showing various Underground Railroad routes. There are reproductions of plates from early history books, and portraits as well as photos of paintings including the colour photo on the cover of the painting by Eastman Johnson entitled, A Ride for Liberty.

This would be a wonderful resource in a classroom, or for help with a school project, or just a really interesting read for anyone wanting to know more about the history of slavery and some of the incredibly brave men and women who risked real dangers with dire consequences, even death, by trying to help others. Dedicated To all those whose names have been forgotten, this book includes a complete chronology and a list of source notes at the back, along with an afterword about important 20th century events.

[Cws]

JAR6-Gor

[Alyssa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good overall review of the history of slavery in North America.