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Title: Intense View on Slavery
Review: I have used this book for years with middle grade students. It is to be used cautiously, I think with younger readers. It is an effective way to introduce the truly unthinkable aspects of slavery: the middle passage with human excrement falling on helpless captives, being stripped of clothes and dignity, and being owned by another human being. Julius Lester is a master wordsmith and he brings this forth on every page. The book is told from three different voices: The slave master, the slave and the narrator. These voices allow the story to be told so as not to offend, but to enlighten. The illustrations are strong and grounded images of slaves--it is like the ancestral souls have been painted on each page. I highly recommend this book, especially for teachers of US History. It is even useful in high school classrooms--where they can have even deeper discussions about the book.
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