Customer Reviews

Sarny, A Life Remembered (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Sarny takes place in the South. It occurs right after the Civil War. Sarny is a slave whom just been freed because the North won. She sets off in a desperate search for her sold children. There were two of them and they had just barely became toddlers when they were hurriedly sold to a slave trader. Their names were Delie and Tyler.
Finding herself free in a Northern filled South, Sarny is accompanied by another former slave as they trudge their tenseful journey. She meets many new friends and even finds true love in places she had never even imagined.
As many friends as she makes, there were still quite a few people who threatened her and became a nuisance. These people still thought blacks should be slaves. They treated Sarny in the worst ways without even touching her...
Although Paul revolves the book around Sarny and her experiences with life during and after the Civil War, he skillfully mixes in a bit of history. Paul shows the hardships of both races-black and white alike-during that fateful era. This heartrending story will keep you laughing to stitches one moment, and have tears streaming down your cheeks the next. This book would be recommended to all ages-from children to adults.
In my opinion, I enjoyed the book very much. I was fascinated how a remarkable story. While I was reading could see through Sarny's eyes and experience the miserable times to the cheerful times. Through Paulson's figurative writing, I could feet the pain of the whippings on my shoulders. I could smell the smoke of fire dying down to embers, and feel the misery and joy jumble as one like needles lightly pricking my heart.
I have been fortunate enough to read Nightjohn-the story of Sarny as a young child. Sarny: A Life Remembered. This enchanting sequel enraptured me with the feelings and thoughts of Sarny-I was blown away by Sarny's determinedness and her spunk. Paulson intigued me by threading the story seamlessly and making me cling to the pages, eager to read on.
However, in the story, Nightjohn, Sarny was a child who just wanted to learn. Now, she is a grown woman with responsibilities whose top priority is her children. In Nightjohn, Sarny didn't want to lose the language of writing; in Sarny: A Life Remembered, she did not want to lose her children. In Nightjohn, learning the alphabet was the most important thing that was happening to her and in the book, Sarny:, the only thing in the world that she cared about was her two little toddlers. In a short period of time, Sarny's life changed completely and unexpectedly.
Overall, Sarny: A Life Remembered was a superb book. I would definitely recommend to anyone who enjoys and interesting story that can make you laugh and cry at once. This is the best family book and should be told over and over again. I would absolutely rate Gary Paulsen's Sarny: A Life Remembered as a five star book!

For those of you who loved Nightjohn, it won't come as a surprise that the sequel telling the rest of Sarny's life is equally well written. After learning how to read on the plantation from Nightjohn, Sarny uses that skill throughout her life to teach others. The narrative starts while Sarny is ninety-four and in the nursing home, as she explains the need to write down the story of her life. After her first husband had died of being overworked in the fields, all Sarny had left was her children. Shortly before the Civil War cruel Master Waller sold little Delie and Tyler. After the arrival of Yankee troops and freedom, Sarny sets off for New Orleans to locate her babies. The rest is a story that, like its prequel, made me cry.

I really believe the book sarny was very well written and it really portrayed how slavery really was and how bad things were for the slaves. It really mad me open my eyes and see just how good I have it. I used to just think that the slaves would just have to work really hard and long days,and at the end of the day they would be able to rest and eat a good meal, but that is the complete oposite of how things really were. Life for the slaves was horrible and theres just no words to say that would describe how bad they had it and just how bad they were treated. I fill that everyone should read this book because it is definitly an eye opener.

I read the book Sarny in school. It was a great story that was well written. I was reading something that I, along with my other peers do not experience everyday. Slavery is something we do not deal with, but it is a huge part of our history that we should all know about. The book portrays it in a light that shows what people like Sarny went through. I think that classes in schools should be required to read Sarny.

Sarny is an interesting book to read. It is about a young woman named Sarny who was a slave for a long time. A war was occuring to either end slavery or keep continuing it. Her two children, Tyler and Delie were sold to a man named Chivington in New Orleans. Before Sarny's owner died, he freed her and she set out on a journey to find her children. She found them and were glad to see them.

I enjoyed this book a lot. As I was reading, I was learning at the same time. Sarny really went for her goal and never gave up. She struggled so many times but never wanted to give in. If there was something she was fighting for, she would fight until the end. I liked the way she acted and responded.

My favorite part of the book was when Sarny finds her children. It was the happiest day of her life. This part was my favorite because everyone was excited and overwhelmed. This event brought Sarny and her family together. I was even joyous for Sarny to find her children. I relished reading this book.

Sarny is a wonderful book. Ive read the first book.Which was "NightJohn". I recommened that you read NightJohn first. I give this book 5 stars, because of its great usage words. Sarny is the main character, and she tells of her life. As a slave. Can`t tell you any more, but just to buy the book, its very enjoyable. :)

I really enjoyed Sarny. I never realized the horrible things the slave owners did to their slaves. I was glad when the young soldier shot Sarny's slave owner. That was terrible of him to sell her children especially when the war was almost over. I didn't think she would ever find her children. It was quite a quest to go on to walk to New Orleans. I was shocked when Sarny's second husband was killed because Sarny started a school for the ex-slaves. It was good of Sarny to use her talent of teaching and use them. I'm glad that Miss Laura gave a lot of her money to Sarny. I didn't realize she was So rich. I think Sarny did a good job of saving and spending her money. A lot of people would have wasted it right away but she was wise. I really enjoyed this book. It really brings you up to terms at what really happened to the slaves during and after the war.

"Sarny" is a wonderful YA (young adult) book by Gary Paulsen. Set at the end of the Civil War it tells the tale of one woman who was set free and who struggled to find her way in the 'new world'. The first step of which was to walk to New Orleans to search for her two young children who had been sold.

The book is a follow-up to Paulsen's "Nightjohn" and is told from the perspective of Sarny, an old woman in a retirement home. In some sense it's more fanciful than "Nightjohn", in that it's less focused on the institution of slavery, and more of a good old-fashioned tale. However, Paulsen doesn't abandon his criticism of the 'evil institution', nor does he fail to focus on the horrors and waste of war. He does an excellent job capturing both in the battle scenes and remembrances.

I highly recommend this book. It's a good story and it poignantly addresses the Civil War timeframe, the hopes and horrors.

Highly recommend this one.

mini-review from Pam T~
(booksforkids-reviews)

I recently read a novel about another woman from the same era in Band of Angels (Voices of the South).
The prose of a black teacher from that time is different than the Robert Penn Warren romance, but the ideas of how people were treated in that time if they were thought of as being colored is similar.
I had trouble starting this book, but once into it the novel is a pleasant and rapid read.

I think Sarny is an awesome book. It tells a story about a determined young women who stayed focus and then finally got what she wanted in life. I really liked the slang that was used when writing this book. It added so much to the book. I read Night John first and then decided I wanted to read Sarny as well. I really enjoyed reading and if another book comes out like this one I will definately read it too.