From Slave Ship to Freedom Road

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Lester, Julius. 1998. From slave ship to freedom road. Ill. by Rod Brown. New York: Penguin. ISBN 9780140566697

PLOT SUMMARY

Julius Lester combines historical nonfiction (from the perspective of an ex-slave) with poems, narratives, and songs depicting slaves’ daily events from the time of the Middle Passage until freedom is granted following the Civil War.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Because of the nonfiction nature of Lester’s beautiful yet appalling book, characters are not really incorporated. Instead, Lester uses realistic portrayals from people who could have been actual people in history. Included are Mammy, the house slave, Sarah Jane and Timothy, the field workers. Given life in pictures, the slaves pictured appear to be authentic. Lester describes “the power in Mammy’s shoulders and arms,” which is complemented by Brown’s painting of a slave woman caring for the master’s children and laundry.

The people’s (both slaves and white men) emotions are clearly pictured in Brown’s paintings. On page 13, the slaves on auction show a variety of emotions: mostly anger and fear. The children hearing stories on page 26 are listening intently and grinning. Sorrow is felt as a soldiers watch one of their own die fighting for his freedom in the Civil War on page 34.

While most of the interactions expressed in the book are among the same culture, the book does point out how varied interactions with white folks were during that time. At the beginning of the book, the only interaction with another culture was with the white men buying and selling slaves at auction. Later in the book, readers see how slave owners had to sell slaves during times of financial trouble. Offering hope, white people against slavery aided runaways in their quest for freedom.

The setting in the book changes chronologically as events lead from, as the title implies, the slave ship to freedom. Locations include on a crowded ship at sea during the Middle Passage, at auction, in homes and field of masters, at war, and in forests or along rivers during the search for freedom. While not being terribly specific, Lester does tell of regions were slave trading was deemed as important or necessary for financial gain—mostly southern states on large plantations.

From Slave Ship to Freedom Road is rich in brutally honest historic detail while also including pieces of what is now known as the African American heritage: stories, poems, and spirituals. An important aspect of this piece, in my opinion, is the unbiased truth Lester puts into this historical telling. Lester’s writing shows no bitterness toward nor places blame on the white man for the brutality African Americans received during slavery. Instead, he asks readers to question and imagine the situation described; he attempts, quite successfully for this reader, to put readers in the place of the enslaved Africans.

Lester gives readers an idea of the work required by slaves: women sought after the children and household chores; however, they were not exempt from field labor. Most men, due to their strength, were utilized in areas of physical labor.

Their dress was not much of their own culture but typical of America at the time. Instead of bonnets, many women did wear wraps around their heads. When men’s clothing or hats were worn or torn, they mended it themselves or left it be. Page 18 is an example of a man who has a hole in his hat but does not fix it. The author questions how he got them and why he doesn’t get a new one. This small detail gives a view of the standard of living for slaves.

While the religion they were exposed to may not reflect the religion of their homelands, slaves adopted Christianity and the idea of a God who looked like them and had the power to free them, as He did the children of Israel. African American spirituals originated during this time.

As mentioned before, storytelling became a method for understanding the people’s purpose and “place…in the scheme of things” (p. 27).

Lester embeds “imagination exercises” though the book; some directed at the white people, some for African Americans, another for both. These exercises challenge the readers to think differently; to put themselves in the place of the slaves, causing the readers to analyze their original way of thinking. Open-ended questions give opportunity for personal reflection with the chance to reshape one’s thinking.

Rod Brown’s paintings perfectly match the nonfiction text Lester produced. Only photographs would be closer to real life. Brown includes a kind of detail only possible in person. The variety of skin tones, facial features, and stature give individuality to each person painted. These pictures steer clear of the stereotype that African Americans are “black.” Brown shows us many shades of brown, giving personality, too, to each face.

An example of the accuracy with which Brown paints is on page 19. The up-close view of the man caused this reader to want to feel his bristly, unshaven face, run my fingers along his deep wrinkles, and feel the softness of the cotton he holds in his hand. This man, Timothy, has a story, a longing in his eyes, and a son he longs to return.

Brown refuses to shy away from graphic details. Some pictures, such as the one on page 22, cause one to shudder. This picture shows the bloodied, flesh-stripped back of a slave who headed out to find freedom, only to return to be tortured further.

Lester’s informative writing paired with Brown’s graphic paintings create on fantastic piece of literature that challenges and enlightens readers about a dark time in our nation’s history.

AWARDS AND REVIEWS

Marion Vannett Ridgway Award, 1999

Booklist Editors' Choice: Books for Youth, 1998

Books in the Middle: Outstanding Books, 1998

YALSA Best Books for Young Adults, 1999

“…the combination of history, art, and commentary demands interaction and makes us imagine the daily life in the cabin, in the fields, and in the house; the importance of storytelling and religion; the anguish when a child is sold away.” –Booklist, 1998

“Brown's 21 paintings provide a cohesive narrative line and have a stunning power of their own, but the confrontational tone of the text may usurp readers' attention.” –Publisher’s Weekly, 1998

CONNECTIONS

Holocaust Connection

The sight and description of the slaves being transported on ships during the Middle Passage reminded me of the treatment of the Jews during the Holocaust. Many consider this period the “African American Holocaust.”

Make notes comparing and contrasting the two events (such as on a Venn diagram). Write a letter as a slave to a Jew (or other person punished) during the Holocaust. In his letter to the reader, Lester tells us that the words in the book are words from an ex-slave.  Give the person your story as if you are the ex-slave, pieces of hope, and ways to cope. Share the letters with the class.

Picture This…

Taking the position of either a slave, slave owner, or white person rendering aid to runaways, “photograph” (in any chosen means of illustration) and caption 3-5 events in a “typical” week.

Put Yourself in Their Shoes

Design a pair of shoes that would be worn by a slave. From the point of view of the shoes, write and record what things the shoes would have to do and where they would go over their lifetime. Combine these two elements to make a “talking shoe display”.