From Slave Ship to Freedom Road

I had never heard of Julius Lester, so I was very interested to read the work of an author I was unfamiliar with. In this book, From Slave Ship to Freedom Road, Lester's story about slavery is enhanced by the chilling artwork of Rod Brown. I really appreciated that slavery is not sugar coated here, even though this is a children's book. Lester describes the journey to America in haunting detail, asking the reader to imagine what it would feel like to be in that situation. The book goes on to describe the everyday lives of slaves, as well as their eventual freedom.

This book definitely gives you something to think about. I read it several hours ago and its realistic tone is still active in my mind. I do not think this book would have been as powerful had it been written as text alone. The pictures, while disturbing at times, really give the reader an idea of just how horrifying slavery really was.

This story was written in 1998, but Julius Lester has been writing books for some time. The book forward mentions another work, To Be a Slave, that was written over thirty years ago. Lester has also written Long Journey Home and This Strange New Feeling.