Many Thousand Gone: African Americans from Slavery to Freedom: (ALA Notable Children's Book) (A Borzoi book) [Hardcover]

Virginia Hamilton (Author), Leo Dillon (Illustrator), Diane Dillon (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 4, 1993 | Age Level: 9 and up | Series: A Borzoi book

Illus. in black-and-white. In this companion volume to the award-winning The People Could Fly, Virginia Hamilton traces the history of slavery and the Underground Railroad in America. Thirty-five inspiring stories describe ingenious escapes, desperate measures, and daring protests of former slaves.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The inspired pairing of this Newbery winner and these two-time Caldecott recipients has yielded a heartfelt and ultimately heartening chronicle of African Americans from the earliest days of slavery to the 1865 ratification of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, which abolished slavery in this country. Made up of succinct yet compelling profiles of celebrated and lesser-known individuals, Hamilton's narrative deftly peels back time's layers and lends an unusual immediacy to this critical chapter in American history. In brief, chronologically arranged entries that even reluctant readers will find easy to absorb, the author first offers accounts of slaves in the pre-Revolutionary War era, many of whom were taken from their homes in Africa and sold to slave traders. Included are descriptions of the appalling shipboard conditions during the "middle passage" from Africa to America, which a shocking 30% of the ill-treated passengers did not survive. Hamilton neatly condenses the tales of such notable freedom crusaders as Gabriel Prosser, the Virginia slave who was hanged for organizing a failed revolt in 1800; Tice Davids, allegedly the first slave to escape by traveling the "underground road" from Kentucky to Ohio; passionate abolitionists Sojourner Truth and Frederick Douglass; and Harriet Tubman, the former slave who made more than 20 journeys back to the South to lead others to freedom. Hamilton's account takes note of the legislation passed by the federal government over the years--both protective of and damaging to the rights of African Americans. Her final reference, however, is optimistic, if somewhat oversimplified. She writes that after the Civil War, African Americans "were able to find the best in life," including seeking education, finding jobs, owning land and living together as families. She concludes: "They did all of these things almost as soon as the war was over. For 125 years they have continued to do so." Throughout the volume, the Dillons' dramatic, full-page, black-and-white art offers stunning portraits of the individuals profiled, poignantly conveying their anguish, determination and hope. A Children's BOMC selection. Ages 9-14. (Feb.) .
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-9-- From the beginning of slavery in America to the end of the Civil War, hundreds of thousands of slaves escaped to freedom in the Northern U. S. and Canada. Their struggle, as well as the struggle of those who failed and those who were once free and then captured into slavery, comprises the theme of this history. Hamilton offers brief vignettes of almost three dozen figures. Among them are a prince lured to a neighboring kingdom and sold into slavery and a desperate mother whose escape over an icy river inspired a scene in Uncle Tom's Cabin . Well-known figures are included, as are such lesser-known people as Henry Box Brown, who had a sympathetic carpenter nail him into a box and mail him North; or Tice Davids, whose escape in 1831 led to the coining of the term "underground road." Although the emphasis is on African-American figures, biographies of whites who risked prison to help slaves to freedom are also included. The vignettes are lively, readable, and written with a poetic flair that distinguishes this book from most collective biographies for this age range. All of the stories shed a different light upon Hamilton's themes and the factual information she presents as an introduction to each theme. Her research is impeccable. The Dillons' black-and-white illustrations are refreshingly original, conveying the emotion and drama of the experiences described; text and visuals combine to create a powerful and moving whole. Reluctant readers and those with little prior knowledge will find this book unusually approachable with its short chapters, lively writing, and ample white space. --Lyn Miller-Lachmann, Siena College Library, Loudonville, NY
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 151 pages
• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (January 4, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0394828739
• ISBN-13: 978-0394828732
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,210,708 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Virginia Esther Hamilton was born, as she said, "on the outer edge of the Great Depression," on March 12, 1934. The youngest of five children of Kenneth James and Etta Belle Perry Hamilton, Virginia grew up amid a large extended family in Yellow Springs, Ohio. The farmlands of southwestern Ohio had been home to her mother's family since the late 1850s, when Virginia's grandfather, Levi Perry, was brought into the state as an infant via the Underground Railroad.

Virginia graduated at the top of her high-school class and received a full scholarship to Antioch College in Yellow Springs. In 1956, she transferred to the Ohio State University in Columbus and majored in literature and creative writing. She moved to New York City in 1958, working as a museum receptionist, cost accountant, and nightclub singer, while she pursued her dream of being a published writer. She studied fiction writing at the New School for Social Research under Hiram Haydn, one of the founders of Atheneum Press.

It was also in New York that Virginia met poet Arnold Adoff. They were married in 1960. Arnold worked as a teacher, and Virginia was able to devote her full attention to writing, at least until daughter Leigh was born in 1963 and son Jaime in 1967. In 1969, Virginia and Arnold built their "dream home" in Yellow Springs, on the last remaining acres of the old Hamilton/Perry family farm, and settled into a life of serious literary work and achievement.

In her lifetime, Virginia wrote and published 41 books in multiple genres that spanned picture books and folktales, mysteries and science fiction, realistic novels and biography. Woven into her books is a deep concern with memory, tradition, and generational legacy, especially as they helped define the lives of African Americans. Virginia described her work as "Liberation Literature." She won every major award in youth literature.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Opression, April 1, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Many Thousand Gone: African Americans from Slavery to Freedom (Paperback)

The purpose of the book Many Thousand Gone by Virginia Hamilton is to teach others about the many struggles slaves went through and how some people were kind hearted enough to help.

Virginia intended this book for many audiences. She wanted everyone to know about the slavery times.

This book has many stories from the beginning to when slaves were brought over from Africa, to Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, and when the Union enlisted black troops.

I would recommend this book to anyone because it is very informative, interesting, and thorough in its descriptions in what slaves went through.
Bethany H

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Many Thousand Gone, April 10, 2000

By 

Traci Abramson - See all my reviews

This review is from: Many Thousand Gone: African Americans from Slavery to Freedom (School & Library Binding)

An excellent collection of stories of early African Americans, Many Thousand Gone begins with the first slaves arriving in the United States in 1619 and goes through the close of the Civil War and the end of slavery. Each chapter relates an easy to read account of people who represent the events surrounding slavery, particularly during the 1800s. Accounts of escapes along the Underground Railroad are included as well as the stories of individuals who played a significant part of black history. These include Nat Turner, Harriet Tubman, Soujourner Truth, and many others. All in all, this book was a joy to read and very informative.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Many Thousand Gone, March 24, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Many Thousand Gone: African Americans from Slavery to Freedom (Paperback)

I would definently reccomend this book to anyone, especially someone who is interested in learing about slavery like myself! The purpose of this book is to tell where and when slavery began. This book in my opinion is mainly for people who are interested in history; mainly slavery.
Renay G