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mariahistryingtoread's review against another edition
4.0
I read a few Dear America books when I was a kid and I always enjoyed them so I decided to revisit the one Black one I remembered for Black History month. There could be more, however, this is the only one I recall seeing or reading.
Clearly intended for a younger audience it does a good job of not totally sanitizing slavery while keeping it kid friendly. It takes a decidedly optimistic borderline naive tone, but I can’t fault it for that given the intended demographic. While I’m glad we’re having more honest conversations about how slavery never truly ended just transformed, this book is a good place to start a dialogue.
As the title suggests, Patsy is a freed girl living on a plantation at Mars Bluff. In the midst of a mean spirited game Patsy secretly learns to read and write. As with all of the Dear America series (as far as I know) the book is written like a journal documenting the pertinent events over the course of a year in her life. The book begins at the very tail end of the civil war basically right before Abraham Lincoln was murdered.
Patsy’s first year as a freed girl is largely spent gathering courage to be the kind of person she feels she is on the inside. She has a stutter and a bad limp so the other Black people and her former masters believe she’s incapable of higher intelligence. Patsy is determined to prove them wrong yet she struggles to speak up for herself when she’s spent so much of her life being dismissed out of hand. She hopes that the eventual arrival of a promised schoolteacher will allow her the platform to demonstrate her capabilities. But, as the days continue to pass with no schoolteacher in sight she comes to learn that she no longer needs other people to give power to her; she has power inside her waiting to be set free.
It was a really solid read. It holds up to my sparse memories. It’s bittersweet to me now knowing that Patsy’s hope for the future is far, far off - Reconstruction which is an arguably unsuccessful venture depending on what angle you approach it from is right around the corner - and that all of the rights she was anticipating still need to be hard won. I was relieved to find that the real Patsy at least seemed to have a good life. It was nice to have some kind of epilogue to put a button on it even if it wasn’t really for Patsy the character.
I definitely recommend it especially given the short length. It’ll take you practically no time to get through it so if you’ve got a free afternoon to kill, go for it.
Clearly intended for a younger audience it does a good job of not totally sanitizing slavery while keeping it kid friendly. It takes a decidedly optimistic borderline naive tone, but I can’t fault it for that given the intended demographic. While I’m glad we’re having more honest conversations about how slavery never truly ended just transformed, this book is a good place to start a dialogue.
As the title suggests, Patsy is a freed girl living on a plantation at Mars Bluff. In the midst of a mean spirited game Patsy secretly learns to read and write. As with all of the Dear America series (as far as I know) the book is written like a journal documenting the pertinent events over the course of a year in her life. The book begins at the very tail end of the civil war basically right before Abraham Lincoln was murdered.
Patsy’s first year as a freed girl is largely spent gathering courage to be the kind of person she feels she is on the inside. She has a stutter and a bad limp so the other Black people and her former masters believe she’s incapable of higher intelligence. Patsy is determined to prove them wrong yet she struggles to speak up for herself when she’s spent so much of her life being dismissed out of hand. She hopes that the eventual arrival of a promised schoolteacher will allow her the platform to demonstrate her capabilities. But, as the days continue to pass with no schoolteacher in sight she comes to learn that she no longer needs other people to give power to her; she has power inside her waiting to be set free.
It was a really solid read. It holds up to my sparse memories. It’s bittersweet to me now knowing that Patsy’s hope for the future is far, far off - Reconstruction which is an arguably unsuccessful venture depending on what angle you approach it from is right around the corner - and that all of the rights she was anticipating still need to be hard won. I was relieved to find that the real Patsy at least seemed to have a good life. It was nice to have some kind of epilogue to put a button on it even if it wasn’t really for Patsy the character.
I definitely recommend it especially given the short length. It’ll take you practically no time to get through it so if you’ve got a free afternoon to kill, go for it.
llama_lord's review against another edition
4.0
I remember trying to read this book in elementary school. Dear America books were a hot commodity and it was difficult to get a hold of one in the school library and so I was excited to discover this book, which was "new" to me because no one in my class had read this one. However, I ultimately abandoned it because I really had no idea what was going on. California schools teach absolutely nothing about the Reconstruction era. Not to mention, this book is very introspective and focuses on Patsy's emotional journey, which was probably a bit too mature for my 10 year old brain to understand, especially considering my favorites in the series at the time were more "action packed".
That said, as an adult revisiting the Dear America series, I really enjoyed this one. Patsy's struggle to discover herself and understand her place in the world now that slavery is abolished is very well written and heartfelt. Her ultimate realization that she can forge a new identity for herself and be the person she's dreamed to be is very inspiring. As I said before, this book is kind of a slow burn compared to some others in the series, but it's still very good. I definitely recommend it and I wish I had had an adult to read it with when I was a kid so I could have enjoyed it then, too.
That said, as an adult revisiting the Dear America series, I really enjoyed this one. Patsy's struggle to discover herself and understand her place in the world now that slavery is abolished is very well written and heartfelt. Her ultimate realization that she can forge a new identity for herself and be the person she's dreamed to be is very inspiring. As I said before, this book is kind of a slow burn compared to some others in the series, but it's still very good. I definitely recommend it and I wish I had had an adult to read it with when I was a kid so I could have enjoyed it then, too.
carolineinthelibrary's review against another edition
4.0
I think this is such an important book to read in tandem with learning about the Civil War and Reconstruction. So much of what we learn as kids about the end of slavery is "Abe Lincoln reads the Emancipation Proclamation and there's no more slavery" but that's not at all the case. Patsy's diaries give a glimpse at some of the anxieties, fears, and hopes that newly freed slaves had after the end of the war.
zerohero's review against another edition
5.0
I thought this was an actual diary (very disappointed that it wasn't) but it was a very good book and i do recommend!
meaganmart's review against another edition
4.0
It shames me to admit that although we "learned" about the Reconstruction Era during my formal education, I realized after reading this book that we focused almost entirely on what the Reconstruction Era looked like for *white* Southerners and none of the prejudices and challenges faced by newly freed enslaved people. I Thought My Soul Would Rise and Fly will be a springboard for me to learn more about the experience of African American people during this time period and the struggles of fighting for their freedom, building lives of their own in the face of incredible racism and laws trying to restrict them at every passage, and just the general experience of being Black in the United States between the end of the Civil War and the beginning of the Civil Rights Era.
shannong's review against another edition
5.0
One of my favorites from the Dear America series. Saving for my niece.
zenithharpink's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this, I really wish it was significantly longer. Patsy was a great heroine, clever and likable. Her family was loving and supportive. Characters felt real. The situation they were all navigating was complicated and heartbreaking, but it was well-illustrated and accessible to young readers. I really wish there was meat on this book!
This is probably my favorite book in the series, it was excellent. I recommend to all young readers, and even any-aged readers looking for an entertaining historical fiction read.
This is probably my favorite book in the series, it was excellent. I recommend to all young readers, and even any-aged readers looking for an entertaining historical fiction read.
meghan's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
jdalton's review against another edition
5.0
Another for my read through of the Dear America books. I don’t remember if I read this as a kid or not but it seemed familiar enough.
I liked how this book focused on the time when slavery was abolished and the war was over, showing that it wasn’t just an automatic actual freedom for African Americans. We still have so much work to do even now and can’t let history (even historical fiction like this) be changed to make others more “comfortable”.
I liked how this book focused on the time when slavery was abolished and the war was over, showing that it wasn’t just an automatic actual freedom for African Americans. We still have so much work to do even now and can’t let history (even historical fiction like this) be changed to make others more “comfortable”.