The Amazing Age of John Roy Lynch
by Chris Barton
Barton, C. (2015). The amazing age of John Roy Lynch. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers.
Born in 1847 to an Irish father and a black enslaved mother, John Roy, along with his brother, were considered slaves. Although his father had plans for his family's liberation, his untimely death sealed their fate of remaining slaves sold from one owner to another. After the Civil War, a 16 year old emancipated John Roy was finally able to find paying work and spent the next several years working hard and educating himself. With the changing of the times, at age 21, John Roy found himself appointed as Justice of the Peace of Natchez, Mississippi. He was then elected to the Mississippi House of Representatives and went on to be elected to the United States House of Representatives. Amid all of John Roy's successes, even though the Civil War was over, the south was still reeling from attacks by the KKK who were unhappy with the changes that were taking place. John Roy continued to work hard to promote peace, freedom and equality for all. A historical note, timeline, author's and illustrator's notes, bibliography for further reading and map are appended for more information. Don Tate's bright watercolor, cartoon-like artwork, takes some very real and often troubling scenes from history and presents them in a way that is more palatable to young readers. This 2016-2017 Bluebonnet Award nominee is recommended for children ages 7-10.
Book Trailer for The Amazing Age of John Roy Lynch
No comments:
Post a Comment