Do you remember your American history class from high school? I THOUGHT I did. I guess dry history textbooks where you are taught the text didn’t have much staying power.
Am I Not A Man? The Dred Scot Story by Mark L Shurtleff will. Am I Not A Man is a historical novel about Dred Scot. Mark L Shurtleff researched the history of Dred Scot, the slave who appealed to the Supreme Court for his freedom. The people, places & most events were factual.
The story of Dred Scot was expertly woven from flashbacks to his childhood, his life during the trial and the lives of other important people in his life during the span of his life. Shurtleff talked about his Dred’s family, his life, and his struggles. It was very interesting to me how well he was treated and how much he was respected by his owners. The picture was painted of a model slave. Indeed, I think he would have had to have had a sparkling character, charm, and work ethic to make his battle go as far as it did.
The one thing that surprised me was that he didn’t win his freedom. I thought he had–obviously, I didn’t retain much from my high school history class :). Am I Not a Man? closed with several chapters describing the ramifications of the Dred Scot trial leading up and including the Civil War.
Mark L. Shurtleff took what could have been a dry subject and made it memorable. I recommend this book to any homeschooling student in high school. A mature middle schooler could also gain a lot. It’s very clean and not very violent. If you are interested in factual American historical fiction this would be right up your alley!
My apologies to the blog tour company for failing to post this review on time.
Disclaimer: I received an electronic copy of this book in exchange for a review.