Wednesday 7 June 2017

Woodruff, Elvira "Dear Austin"



Woodruff, Elvira "Dear Austin: Letters from the Underground Railroad" - 1998

I never read "Dear Levi" which seems to be the other side of the correspondence. Therefore, I don't think we get as much information about the Unterground Railroad as there might be in the other book. But I still think this story is good for children if they want to know what was giong on and how black people lived during slavery time - and even afterwards.

Nice little children's book.

From the back cover: "In this companion novel to Dear Levi, told in letters,11-year-old Levi helps a young African American in a harrowing flight for freedom along the Underground Railroad."

4 comments:

  1. Very good! I am currently fascinated by the whole history of slavery and its aftermath in my country. A terrible shame all of it is. I am reading, side by side, The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson (the story of the Great Migration of black people from the south to the north beginning during WWI) and The Rebellious Life of Mrs Rosa Parks by Jeanne Theoharis, about the women who became known for beginning the year long bus boycott in the South when she refused to give up her seat on a bus for a white person.

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    1. Sounds perfect. I've also just been reading your latest Pulitzer Prize winner (will write about the book soon), "Underground Railroad" by Colson Whitehead. I will definitely put your two books on my wishlist. Thanks!

      Have a happy weekend,
      Marianne

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  2. Slavery existed in many countries in different forms. Sad to say, it still exists in another form. Such stories will never go out of date and is need of the hour so that children can develop a perspective of their own for the better...

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    1. You are so right, unfortunately, many things still exist that should have been given up a long long time ago, slavery is certainly one that should be on top of that list. And I also agree that we have to tell these kind of stories.

      Years ago I read another good book for children, Underground to Canada by Barbara Smucker, I thought that was even better. However, as I mentioned, I didn't read the other half of this story, I can imagine that they are great together.

      Have a great weekend,
      Marianne

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