Who Was Harriet Tubman?

My daughter and I read this together last week over the course of 2 days. It's a relatively short, but powerful read.

Harriet's bravery stuck out the most to my daughter. She put her own life at risk many times, even as a very young woman. Her courage was remarkable. The author did not try to hide the unpleasantness of her life, including when she came back to rescue her husband and she found he had married another woman. While this fact shocked my daughter, I think it's important information for young girls to absorb in the midst of Barbie and Disney movies.

Harriet was her own heroine. And, she saved thousands of men and women despite her personal limitations.

The book did a very good job on putting a human face on the horrifics of slavery. Like most eight-year-olds, she was aware that slavery existed, however, prior to reading this book, I don't think she had any understanding of what life as a slave actually entailed.

My daughter was also thrilled to see how Harriet's path crossed with Susan B. Anthony's, who we just finished reading about it in another book.

We fell in love with Harriet. We both cried when she died at the end.

This was truly a great read, even for grown ups.

Amazon Description: "Born a slave in Maryland, Harriet Tubman knew first-hand what it meant to be someone's property; she was whipped by owners and almost killed by an overseer. It was from other field hands that she first heard about the Underground Railroad which she traveled by herself north to Philadelphia. Throughout her long life (she died at the age of ninety-two) and long after the Civil War brought an end to slavery, this amazing woman was proof of what just one person can do."

Who Was Harriet Tubman? by Yona Zeldis McDonough (Author), Nancy Harrison (Illustrator)      

“I freed thousands of slaves, and could have freed thousands more, if they had known they were slaves.”

-Harriet Tubman