Dear Friend: Collaborators on the Underground Railroad [Hardcover]

Judith Bentley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 1997 | Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

Presents a dual biography of Thomas Garrett, a white Quaker living in the slave state of Delaware, and William Still, a free black man living in Philadelphia, who worked together as friends on the Underground Railroad to help bring slaves north where they could then be free.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Judith Bentley tells the story of the American Underground Railroad through the friendship of Thomas Garrett, a white Quaker who operated a section of the railroad, and William Still, a free black man who lived in Philadelphia. Written for young adults, "Dear Friend" is illustrated with numerous contemporary drawings and engravings and written in a clear, clean style. Nonetheless, despite its intended audience, it doesn't sugarcoat the horrors of slavery; it movingly and eloquently depicts the strength and courage of those who ran the Underground Railroad and of the slaves who made the arduous journey to freedom.

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-9. A history of the Underground Railroad as seen through the writings of two conductors. Thomas Garrett was a Quaker storekeeper in Wilmington who led fugitives from slave-holding Delaware to the free state of Pennsylvania. He was a generous, peace-loving man, genuinely concerned about his "passengers." In Philadelphia, fleeing slaves were offered brief sanctuary by William Still, a free black. He was a clerk at the Anti-Slavery Society, and himself the son of a fugitive slave. Ironically, in the course of helping one fugitive find his family, he discovered his own long-lost brother. The two men maintained a steady correspondence, and although Still's letters were destroyed, many of Garrett's letters are quoted here. Still also kept careful records of those he helped, and his accounts are some of the few firsthand records available about the Underground Railroad. Notes cite the origins of the stories told, making this a good source of information for report writers. Black-and-white reproductions appear throughout. The writings of these two men help bring this part of history alive for readers.?Elizabeth M. Reardon, McCallie School, Chattanooga, TN
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Juvenile; 1st edition (February 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 052565156X
• ISBN-13: 978-0525651567
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #661,012 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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