To Be a Slave

Rating:
Summary: it was phenominal
Review: 1968 School Library Journal Best Book of the Year In an intensely personal new introduction written for this thirtieth anniversary edition, Julius Lester states that at age ten, when his father told him his family's history went back to a bill of sale and no further, the words were one of the defining moments of my life. Approximately fifteen years later he began compiling the words of ex-slaves--a good portion of which had never been previously published--and establishing the structure for To Be a Slave. The ease and speed with which this structure came made him realize that this book was one of the things [he] had been put on earth to do. In an equally eloquent, new introductory note Tom Feelings expresses a similar sentiment regarding the personal impact of his work for To Be a Slave and his belief in doing work that mov[es] us so emotionally, it makes all of us feel its truth way down deep inside. For thirty years American readers of all ages and walks of life have been affected by the truth of To Be a Slave, which remains one of the few works to present what it felt like to be slave in America in the words of black men and women who lived it rather than filtered through the eyes of others. Paired with Mr. Lester's historical commentary and powerful and soulful paintings by Mr. Feelings, To Be a Slave makes the clear and moving distinction between the generalizations made about slaves and what the emotional reality was for human beings [whose] condition was slavery. I am grateful to the parents, teachers, librarians, and booksellers who have found [To Be a Slave] to be of value. Most of all I am grateful to all those who have read it, to all those who read it. History is not just facts and events. History is also a pain in the heart, and we repeat history until we are able to make another's pain in the heart our own. -- Julius Lester The truth can stretch children's minds, stimulate their imaginations in a creative way, and strengthen their spirits.

Rating:
Summary: The Best Way to make a book.
Review: A Great Book sums it up. The book is made by shorts exerts from other books or from people in the Library of Congress. It is hard to read, to see what our forfathers did to the blacks. It really is. I have read other books about slaves but nothing as far in as this. Its saddening. It tells you how the slaves were sold by fellow africans so the whites who crammed them onto small boats. They made it so that the slaves could only sit. One person was quoted on saying that they couldn't stand up again until 2 weeks after they go off the boat. After getting off the boats, there were sold to their masters on the auction block. Then it told how the slaves revolted. They did it a bit at a time in different ways. Some rebelled by acting as stupid people as their masters thought they were. Then as the Civil War came, many slaves were freed and other ran away. As the emancipation came, all slaves were freed. The slaves didn't know what to do though. Like how to plant, farm, anything. As the book said, "Negroes were bit by two snakes, One that pointed south that bit slavery, the other faced north and bit freedom. They both hurt the negroes."

Rating:
Summary: The Best Way to make a book.
Review: A Great Book sums it up. The book is made by shorts exerts from other books or from people in the Library of Congress. It is hard to read, to see what our forfathers did to the blacks. It really is. I have read other books about slaves but nothing as far in as this. Its saddening. It tells you how the slaves were sold by fellow africans so the whites who crammed them onto small boats. They made it so that the slaves could only sit. One person was quoted on saying that they couldn't stand up again until 2 weeks after they go off the boat. After getting off the boats, there were sold to their masters on the auction block. Then it told how the slaves revolted. They did it a bit at a time in different ways. Some rebelled by acting as stupid people as their masters thought they were. Then as the Civil War came, many slaves were freed and other ran away. As the emancipation came, all slaves were freed. The slaves didn't know what to do though. Like how to plant, farm, anything. As the book said, "Negroes were bit by two snakes, One that pointed south that bit slavery, the other faced north and bit freedom. They both hurt the negroes."

Rating:
Summary: To Be A Slave
Review: I first read this book when I was in seventh grade. I had been in history classes for five years and untill I began to read this book, I did not know what realy happened. I am now 21 years old and have a even better understanding of the subject, yet I still continue to read this book time and time again. It not only contains a wealth of knowldge, but is brought to you in a way that is understadable. When I first read this I was 13 years old and had a learning disibility. Not only that but I also had Atention Deficit Disorder. I did not read much or want to read much. I first found this book because I had to do a report. It hooked me right away. It is something in the way it is writen and what it is about that even at the tender age of 13 I colud understand and even think about. I recomend that parents let their children experience this book. But only after you have read it your self.

Rating:
Summary: An understandable book on slaves
Review: I first read this book when I was in seventh grade. I had been in history classes for five years and untill I began to read this book, I did not know what realy happened. I am now 21 years old and have a even better understanding of the subject, yet I still continue to read this book time and time again. It not only contains a wealth of knowldge, but is brought to you in a way that is understadable. When I first read this I was 13 years old and had a learning disibility. Not only that but I also had Atention Deficit Disorder. I did not read much or want to read much. I first found this book because I had to do a report. It hooked me right away. It is something in the way it is writen and what it is about that even at the tender age of 13 I colud understand and even think about. I recomend that parents let their children experience this book. But only after you have read it your self.

Rating:
Summary: Powerful!
Review: I had to read this book for a college class, and I was really moved by it. It's such a powerful read. This book will give the reader a first hand experience of what it was like to be a slave. What makes this book so good is that it's the words of the slave. It's their stories and their words. The reader will learn how they were beaten and how their families were split up...sometimes for life. If you have a interest in reading about slavery, then you must add this to your collection.

Rating:
Summary: Powerful!
Review: I had to read this book for a college class, and I was really moved by it. It's such a powerful read. This book will give the reader a first hand experience of what it was like to be a slave. What makes this book so good is that it's the words of the slave. It's their stories and their words. The reader will learn how they were beaten and how their families were split up...sometimes for life. If you have a interest in reading about slavery, then you must add this to your collection.

Rating:
Summary: To Be A Slave
Review: My recommendtion for my book is for people that want to learn something new. I think that my book, TO BE A SLAVE, was full of interesting facts that happened to the slaves. They had a rough life and they went through alot of misery. They were beaten if they did anything wrong or said anything wrong. I recommened this book to anybody that is interested in history. I read the book every moment that I had because Icouldn't wait to see what would happen next.

Rating:
Summary: Sobering, simple collection of accounts by former slaves
Review: The purpose of this book was to document the lives of former slaves, grouping together areas of similar experiences. The full gamut of the horrors of American slavery are described, whether it was being beaten, raped, or having your family split apart for different masters to take away. The living conditions and variety in their treatment also are discussed, making this book, while simple enough to be read by middle schoolers, powerful enough to be read by anyone seeking a true account of slavery prior to the Civil War.

Rating:
Summary: Sobering, simple collection of accounts by former slaves
Review: The purpose of this book was to document the lives of former slaves, grouping together areas of similar experiences. The full gamut of the horrors of American slavery are described, whether it was being beaten, raped, or having your family split apart for different masters to take away. The living conditions and variety in their treatment also are discussed, making this book, while simple enough to be read by middle schoolers, powerful enough to be read by anyone seeking a true account of slavery prior to the Civil War.