To Be A Slave

To be a slave. To be owned by another person, as a car, house, or a table is owned. To live as a piece of property that could be sold...

This book is about how it felt. The words of black men and women who had themselves been slaves are here, accompanied by Julius Lester's historical commentary and Tom Feelings's powerful and muted paintings, To Be a Slave has been a touchstone in children's literature for over thirty years.

"It is rare to find a book that enables children to identify as compellingly with slaves as this one does." -Publishers Weekly

"From history-and for our time-there's nothing better than To Be a Slave." -The New York Times Book Review

Awards:

A 1969 Newbery Honor Book
An ALA Notable Book
A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
A Smithsonian Magazine Best Book of the Year

Annotation

A compilation, selected from various sources and arranged chronologically, of the reminiscences of slaves and ex-slaves about their experiences from the leaving of Africa through the Civil War and into the early twentieth century.

Editorial Reviews

A number of books have been written for young people about slavery in the United States, but none could be more powerful and compelling than Lester's award-winning book. Reissued on the thirtieth anniversary of the original publication, this Newbery Honor Book personalizes the hardships and struggles of African-American slaves. What was it like to be a slave? Lester uses the words of slaves and ex-slaves to tell this story. From slave narratives of the 1800s and interviews of ex-slaves conducted by the Federal Writers' Project of the 1930s, the victims describe living conditions under a bondage that negated one's humanity. What emerges is not the stereotypical image of the passive or happy-go-lucky slave. Passion and emotion emanate from these passages, as those affected describe slave trade, the auction block, resistance to slavery, plantation life and emancipation. It is easy to see why this book continues to have appeal after 30 years. The author's goal in allowing readers to experience slaves as human beings has made this book to excel. The dehumanizing aspects of slavery are made abundantly clear, but a testament to the human spirit of those who endured or survived this experience is exalted. 1998 (orig. 1968), Puffin Books/Penguin, $20.00 and $5.99. Ages 10 to 14. Reviewer: Jeanette Lambert