To Be A Slave

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A Newbery Honor BookWhat was it like to be a slave?  Listen to the words and learn about the lives of countless slaves and ex-slaves, telling about their forced journey from Africa to the United States, their work in the fields and houses of their owners, and their passion for freedom.  You will never look at life the same way again."The dehumanizing aspects of slavery are made abundantly clear, but a testament to the human spirit of those who endured or survived this experience is exalted."—Children's Literature

Paperback: 176 pages

Publisher: Puffin Books; English Language edition (December 18, 2000)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0141310014

ISBN-13: 978-0141310015

Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 0.4 x 8.2 inches

Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (66 customer reviews)

Best Sellers Rank: #63,638 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #95 in Books > Teens > Historical Fiction > United States #2949 in Books > Teens > Literature & Fiction #19310 in Books > Reference

As noted in the description of this work, "To be A Slave" was a 1969 Newbery Honor Book, An ALA Notable Book, a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year and a Smithsonian Magazine Best Book of the Year. Seldom have I read a book that was actually deserving of these awards more than this work, and in my opinion, so many, many more!I must note right up front that even though this work was and is targeted for the 9 to 12 age group, it is applicable and fitting for just about any age group over the age of 9. I strongly suggest that this age group, or many in it, may not be ready for this particular read. In my opinion the age grouping probably should start at about 15 or 16 at the earliest. Younger readers should probably have some adult guidance. Folks, we are talking pretty brutal here. Rarely have I read an "adult" work covering this subject which held the dignified impact this book offers. It is profoundly upsetting, and rightfully so. The author, Julius Lester, pulls no punches throughout the entire work and gives his readers a dreadful dose of reality. I must admit that many passages in this work; many of the firsthand accounts (more about that later) of former slaves in the United States, made me literally physically ill. This is a good thing as it is like a cold splash of water (or more accurately...acid), in the face, bring the reader from a compete state of sleep into full and painful wakefulness and awareness.Many of the stories told here were either suppressed or more or less ignored until the 1930s when the Federal Writers Project was organized. One of their tasks was to interview as many former slaves as possible and record as accurately as possible their story.

The American Slave Coast: A History of the Slave-Breeding Industry Twelve Years a Slave (the Original Book from Which the 2013 Movie '12 Years a Slave' Is Based) (Illustrated) When I Was a Slave: Memoirs from the Slave Narrative Collection (Dover Thrift Editions) Slave Songs of the United States Hidden Girl: The True Story of a Modern-Day Child Slave Denmark Vesey: The Buried History of America's Largest Slave Rebellion and the Man Who Led It 12 Years a Slave Roman Diary: The Journal of Iliona of Mytilini: Captured and Sold as a Slave in Rome - AD 107 Nat Turner's Slave Rebellion (Graphic History) Lift Your Light a Little Higher: The Story of Stephen Bishop: Slave-Explorer Amistad: the Story of a Slave Ship (Penguin Young Readers, Level 4) The Poet Slave of Cuba: A Biography of Juan Francisco Manzano George Washington Carver: From Slave to Scientist (Heroes of History) Trabelin' On: The Slave Journey to an Afro-Baptist Faith John Washington's Civil War: A Slave Narrative A Slave No More: Two Men Who Escaped to Freedom, Including Their Own Narratives of Emancipation (.) Behind the Scenes, or, Thirty Years a Slave, And Four Years in the White House Celia, A Slave The Making of a Racist: A Southerner Reflects on Family, History, and the Slave Trade Slave Religion: The "Invisible Institution" in the Antebellum South