After watching the excellent movie Lincoln last winter I was eager to read more about Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation. This book, The Emancipation Proclamation: Lincoln and the Dawn of Liberty by Tonya Bolden, is an absolute treasure trove of primary documents from the time period. These documents are the type that make Social Studies teachers and librarians alike salivate because they are so interesting and vital to understanding what led to the Emancipation Proclamation in the first place.
Tonya Bolden has written over 20 history books for children and adults, most about African-American contributions to American history. All of them are meticulously researched. Surprisingly she reported in a 2009 interview with Book Links, that as a child she hated history. "It was presented in such an uninteresting way," she said. About the research process she said, "I just start reading and immerse myself in the time period." It is really obvious that she did just that with this book. She highlighted the contributions by African-Americans to the anti-slavery efforts in addition to the white Americans we have always heard so much about. There are wonderful paintings, photos, and documents to pour over and digest. Not being a big scholar on the Civil War myself, I will appreciate what Bolden brings to the subject.
Even though my public library has this book classified as a Junior book it works for older students and adults. The text is written in simple language, but the captions on the documents are small and plentiful, thus the book can't really be read quickly if the reader is to gain value from it.
I will be purchasing this book for my library.
30 books this Summer Reading Challenge
14 / 30 books. 46% done!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
In order to be eligible to win the giveaway you must be a follower of this blog and answer the following question in the comment section, as well as signing up on Rafflecopter. You can sign up everyday and answer a new question.
Today's question: What is the first book you remember reading to yourself?
My answer: Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss.
