Emancipation Proclamation: Lincoln and the Dawn of Liberty

This book is a beautiful example of the amazing things being done with books for children. Everything about the book from the design to the writing is intended to help children decipher a difficult topic. Slavery is not an easy topic to discuss, nor is the war that came about because of it. But this book does a great job of showing how and why freedom came to the slaves.I found it fascinating the way the author referred to slaves as "we." It brings a feel of unity, common suffering among African Americans both slave and free. I loved how she used quotes from prominent people of the time, both white and black. I also liked how these quotes showed a variety of opinions, those who supported Lincoln and those who didn't, those who wanted slavery ended regardless of the fate of the union and those who put the union first. The book is wonderfully written and perfect for sharing, especially in a classroom setting. There is much here worthy of discussion. I also appreciated the inclusion of the actual document (Emancipation Proclamation) and the author's taking the time to explain things as she went, helping the reader but not talking down to them. The author's epilogue explains her own feelings about the controversy that still surrounds slavery and the issue of who really freed the slaves. This is a nice touch in that it illustrates that history like so many other things varies depending on the beholder.The design of the book is fabulous. The outside and inside of the book are made to look old, like an ink-splattered document from the past. Many illustrations were of primary source documents from the 1860s, everything from auction posters to political cartoons, photographs, paintings, as well as speeches and letters. The captions were well-written and clearly explained each illustration. A beautifully put together book that I highly recommend.

I've only read the beginning but it is dramatic. One free black whose freedom papers were lost in a fire, was attacked by those who would sell him into slavery. He fought them off. The next day in center town, he violently attacked his body to make himself unfit for slavery. He was one of those awaiting the effective date of the emancipation proclamation.

Thank you for this book. I like it.

The Booklist starred review nails the quality, the strengths of this book.It would be hard for a student who does not have a sophisticated vocabulary and some background knowledge of this period to understand this book. But for your history buff - the student you are trying to challenge - hand him or her this book. Hand this book to a group for discussion - because there's a lot to think about as Bolden portrays Lincoln in a very "gray" area of freeing slaves and slaves rights and African American's place in society.This book is complex in many ways. Bolden "frames" the book with a "we" - the abolitionists who are waiting for and have strived towards the end of slavery. The "we" is introduced in Part I and then resurfaces at various points in Part II and then is a strong part of the Part III, the final part. The vocabulary is riddled with idioms and savvy reader words. As a reader, I had to keep an eye on Bolden's thread (purpose) of "this was how Lincoln emerged/evolved and brought about the dawn of liberty." I started out just reading it as another history of current events leading up to the Civil War and the Emancipation Proclamation, but I found myself unclear about where Bolden was headed. Once I remembered her purpose/premise for the book - Lincoln's journey towards clarity about emancipation - where she was headed was much clearer.The primary sources in this book are STRONG. You could just read the primary sources and gain a deeper understanding of all the different variables that contributed to the complexities of the Civil War.A good read - but for a very particular group of students.

This is a great book and shipped quickly. It tells an important story from our nation's history.