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jmitschke's review against another edition
4.0
Gorgeous illustrations and a really powerful true story I had never heard before.
pacifickle's review against another edition
5.0
Chills. What a perfect person to use for a biography on this era. Great job by the author & illustrator to show the horrors of racism but to show it appropriately for elementary-aged readers.
hulahoopes's review against another edition
4.0
This is an excellent biography telling a story of a very understudied time in US history. John Roy Lynch is an amazing role model for all.
crystal_reading's review against another edition
5.0
Barton and Tate manage to provide a realistic look at slavery for young readers. It moves quickly from slavery though to Reconstruction after the Civil War. Many people don't realize that there were African American people in positions of power soon after the civil war. John Roy Lynch was one of those people who held public office about ten years after he became free. There was reactionary activity though and things got worse. The end notes especially spell this out. Many young people have no concept of the time that passed between slavery being abolished and the civil rights movement. Often they somehow see that time collapsed and think MLK Jr. was speaking of freedom from slavery. Many don't realize that almost 100 years had passed, but the progress that had been made had been taken away.
amandabock's review against another edition
4.0
This is the story of a man who went from being a slave to being a U.S. Congressman in just 10 years. There are very few books about the Reconstruction era for young people, especially when you compare it to the amazing wealth of books about slavery and the Civil Rights Movement. So, this book fills a very important void. There is a lot to like about it- the straightforward language and lighthearted illustrations. I wish that the additional information given in the afterward was incorporated into the text. Sometimes the individual story of John Roy is too narrow and I want there to be more context. I think this book will raise a lot of questions for kids, and I wish I had more resources to give them to learn more.
readingthroughtheages's review against another edition
4.0
Loved this narrative informational text - great mentor text for biography.
abigailbat's review against another edition
4.0
Books about reconstruction for kids are few and far behind and this one hits the mark. John Roy Lynch was born into slavery and lived as a slave until he was set free by Emancipation when he was 16 years old. Within ten years, Lynch was a US Congressman! It was an amazing age indeed when any person would have that opportunity. This is not only an inspiring biography, but a peek into the period of Reconstruction when the South was putting itself back together again after the Civil War.
nerfherder86's review against another edition
4.0
A fascinating picture book biography of John Roy Lynch, who went from 16-year-old half Irish freed slave to U.S. Congressman in ten years! He lived in Natchez Mississippi, where his father was the plantation overseer who had planned to liberate him but died when John was only two. It wasn't until 14 years later that John was finally freed and began to make his way in the world, rising from photographer's assistant to justice of the peace and to eloquent statesman. His story is also that of Reconstruction--freedom and equality for blacks existed briefly after the Civil War but later were taken away by Southern whites. The whimsical illustrations soften the harsh reality of what they depict. It's an inspiring text that explains slavery and discrimination clearly and eloquently. Includes author and illustrator notes, extensive timeline, and a list of further reading. Refers readers to Chris Barton's website for "more about the research and writing of" the book.
michelle_neuwirth_gray9311's review against another edition
5.0
A really well done biography. I learned a lot about John Roy Lynch and also the time period he lived.
fernthepanda's review against another edition
5.0
A detailed, insightful look at a man I knew nothing about. Wonderful book