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A review by jennybeastie
Charlotte Spies for Justice: A Civil War Survival Story by Nikki Shannon Smith
4.0
Things I liked:
a gentle introduction to the Civil War
cool spy techniques for sharing information
based on real people and their actions
Black and White people working together to change things for the better
Things I was less excited about:
Charlotte is a free person, but she still acts as a servant and there's no talk of her wages -- as an adult who has more context I can see the ways in which her situation is far improved from what a slave child might endure -- a clean and tidy cabin with a floor and windows and heat and furniture; protection rather than abuse from the white people who have direct power over her; regular food -- but she's still absolutely subject to the whims of her employer, with little explanation. She still seems to be hungry and cold on a regular basis, and she's still censured for defiance. Again, it makes sense in the context of the story that these things protect her from worse, but it troubles me as a reader. I guess that's what real history looks like -- often uncomfortable and hopefully troubling to the reader.
I really love this series -- in particular, I love what Nikki Shannon Smith is doing with it -- her stories keep centering Black children in history in a way that most other writers have failed to do. She's bringing visibility to the fact that not only have Black people been in this country since its founding, but they've also been active participants in most, if not all of the significant events. She backs up her fiction with really great spotlight nonfiction in the back matter, and she consistently involves lesser known historical figures in the narrative.
a gentle introduction to the Civil War
cool spy techniques for sharing information
based on real people and their actions
Black and White people working together to change things for the better
Things I was less excited about:
Charlotte is a free person, but she still acts as a servant and there's no talk of her wages -- as an adult who has more context I can see the ways in which her situation is far improved from what a slave child might endure -- a clean and tidy cabin with a floor and windows and heat and furniture; protection rather than abuse from the white people who have direct power over her; regular food -- but she's still absolutely subject to the whims of her employer, with little explanation. She still seems to be hungry and cold on a regular basis, and she's still censured for defiance. Again, it makes sense in the context of the story that these things protect her from worse, but it troubles me as a reader. I guess that's what real history looks like -- often uncomfortable and hopefully troubling to the reader.
I really love this series -- in particular, I love what Nikki Shannon Smith is doing with it -- her stories keep centering Black children in history in a way that most other writers have failed to do. She's bringing visibility to the fact that not only have Black people been in this country since its founding, but they've also been active participants in most, if not all of the significant events. She backs up her fiction with really great spotlight nonfiction in the back matter, and she consistently involves lesser known historical figures in the narrative.