Scan barcode
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”.
cashleykate's review against another edition
3.25
I really just enjoy this whole series and I’m so sad I didn’t find it when I was younger.
giggrasuez's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
tangiblereads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
This beautiful story is one I would have loved to read in school. I am all for different ways of learning. Not only does this book have a good story through diary entries, but has a mini history lesson in the back. As an adult, I was entertained and informed. I loved Patsy and felt her angst. Her world has been turned upside down and she is trying to find her identity and a home. I loved how she teaches others in the process. I love the resilience and honor of my ancestors. This book had some moments where they could have taken a spiteful turn, but held their head high and did not. That is beautiful.
huncamuncamouse's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars?
This is probably the "quietest" book in the Dear America series so far. There's not any over-the-top death and gore, or even misery. In fact, much of the book has a hopeful, optimistic tone. I appreciated having another non-white narrator. This time, we meet Patsy, who is continually underestimated by both the Davis family (her enslavers) and the community of enslaved people she lives with. Because she stammers, it's clear that people think she's "slow" or "dim-witted," but Patsy has a secret: she's taught herself to how to read.
This book coincides with the Reconstruction, a time I find few people in the US know much about. This book takes place right at the beginning of the Reconstruction, which accounts for its optimistic tone, and in the epilogue, we learn that Patsy and her friends have set up an almost utopian town. There's little mention of the backlash to the Reconstruction, the Jim Crow laws (which is one small complaint).
I like that the Davis Family, Patsy's enslavers, aren't just cast as a bunch sadistic people, but they're clearly not "good" either. Patsy's ambivalent feelings about them seem believable as both the formerly enslaved and the former enslavers are left in the strange situation of redefining their relationships to each other (paid employee and employer).
My biggest complaint about this book is that around the middle, the plot basically peters out. There's a lot of waiting around for a school teacher to come. There's a lot of waiting to see if land will be given to the ex-slaves and now sharecroppers on the land. A lot of waiting around does not translate to the most exciting story, but it fits, given the transitional moment the Reconstruction was. I thought this book does a nice job of addressing questions of what it means to be free and does a good job tracing the ways in which the formerly enslaved tried to carve out new identities for themselves in the years following their emancipation.
Dead parent count: N/A. We never find out who Patsy's parents were, but no surrogate family members die.
This is probably the "quietest" book in the Dear America series so far. There's not any over-the-top death and gore, or even misery. In fact, much of the book has a hopeful, optimistic tone. I appreciated having another non-white narrator. This time, we meet Patsy, who is continually underestimated by both the Davis family (her enslavers) and the community of enslaved people she lives with. Because she stammers, it's clear that people think she's "slow" or "dim-witted," but Patsy has a secret: she's taught herself to how to read.
This book coincides with the Reconstruction, a time I find few people in the US know much about. This book takes place right at the beginning of the Reconstruction, which accounts for its optimistic tone, and in the epilogue, we learn that Patsy and her friends have set up an almost utopian town. There's little mention of the backlash to the Reconstruction, the Jim Crow laws (which is one small complaint).
I like that the Davis Family, Patsy's enslavers, aren't just cast as a bunch sadistic people, but they're clearly not "good" either. Patsy's ambivalent feelings about them seem believable as both the formerly enslaved and the former enslavers are left in the strange situation of redefining their relationships to each other (paid employee and employer).
My biggest complaint about this book is that around the middle, the plot basically peters out. There's a lot of waiting around for a school teacher to come. There's a lot of waiting to see if land will be given to the ex-slaves and now sharecroppers on the land. A lot of waiting around does not translate to the most exciting story, but it fits, given the transitional moment the Reconstruction was. I thought this book does a nice job of addressing questions of what it means to be free and does a good job tracing the ways in which the formerly enslaved tried to carve out new identities for themselves in the years following their emancipation.
Dead parent count: N/A. We never find out who Patsy's parents were, but no surrogate family members die.
cholla25's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
sad
medium-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? No
4.0
musiquedevie's review
5.0
Each 'Dear America' book is likened to a great and oftentimes powerful history lesson come to life. This novel is definitely no exception. Joyce Hansen does an amazing job of painting the lifescape of each person in the story. Some appear briefly and some are interwoven throughout the story but each leave an impression. The epilogue and novel notes give brief yet great insight to life back in the Reconstruction times. This is my 2nd reading of this 'Dear America' book and continues to be one of my top favorites. I look forward to finding other works by Ms. Hansen to read.