Answering the Cry for Freedom

[lklivingston]

The Advisory have added a book, which is scheduled across Years 4, 5, and 6 (or Groups Form 2). If you've already started your school year and can't afford another book to your budget, it's fine to pick it up later and catch up. If your library ends up with a copy (when libraries are open again!) it could also be used for free reading. It's a collection of stand-alone biographies, so its scheduling can be very flexible.

Answering the Cry for Freedom: Stories of African Americans and the American Revolution
By Gretchen Woelfle

It's been added to the booklists and schedules.

[stonemasons]

Wow, this looks great! Thank you, I'm very interested in adding it.

[minimouse]

Did this replace a book, or is it an extra?

[lklivingston]

It's extra, but it's not a lot of reading. The chapters stand alone, I believe.

[Donna-Jean]

Please be sure to read the footnotes in this, and all, our recommendations. The second chapter, for instance, has the n word and should be noted as such.


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[Mariel]

Can you give more details about how this book was chosen? What was liked about it? What other books were considered and rejected? For example, how does the author handle the question of whether Jefferson was the father of Sally Hemings’ children?

I see that the book is endorsed by the Zinn Education Project, which makes me cringe.

[LeslieNoelani]

We weren't looking specifically to find a book fill a hole, so there weren't books considered and rejected. We found this one, and loved what it was trying to do -- telling the stories of the individuals.

I wasn't aware that it was endorsed by the Zinn Education Project, but that had no bearing on the book being scheduled. The book was selected on the merits of the content itself.

[LeslieNoelani]

When considering the book, this was what struck us: The book tells the stories of 13 African Americans who lived in the Revolutionary era in an unforgettable way, and with sound scholarship. The author says that the ideas of liberty and equality "were as contagious as smallpox," and spread to include slaves. Christianity and the church were important in the lives of Revolutionary War era African Americans. There are examples of courage, friendship, faith. The stories are exciting; although they tell of some of the unfair circumstances some of these people experienced, they rose above it and fought for freedom, and that's what impressed us.

[Bethanta]

Do you suggest starting from the beginning? We are about to begin Y4 Term 3.

[Bethanta]

After looking more closely, I see that it's only 1 or 2 stories per term. So I think we will start at the beginning and just read a couple stories during our Christmas schooling this year and be caught up to begin Y5 in January.