To Be a Slave, by Julius Lester

To Be a Slave, by Julius Lester, was one of the most moving books I have ever read provided with many detailed, first hand accounts of slaves captured in Africa by the English and Europeans and then taken to the new colonies in America. Full of greed, anger, frustration, sadness, horror, and pain, this book will set even the toughest heart aching for those slaves who went through so much sorrow. What I thought really made this book so amazing that I would recommend anyone to read, was the author gathered so many first hand accounts of slaves, songs that were made and sung by them, detailed drawn pictures, and a perfect accound of how EVERYTHING was in that time. Lester gives us detailed and vivid descrtiptions of the exact food a slave would eat, what they wore, how the celebrated Christmas, went to a white man's church on Sunday telling them how God places the white men above the blacks and they were to serve them, what the family did when separated at the auction block so soon after a new child was born and sold, and how slaves escaped slavery with many being recaptured. To Be A Slave is not a novel, rather it's a concoction of many the slaves lives and how they lived through coming from Africa, moving to working on plantations, and going through the Emancipation. I do want to forewarn you of gruesome events taking place because this book focus' on ALL of slavery, especially the stories that are not wanted to be heard. Though almost all slaves hated slavery and the whites for containing them, some felt slavery was life-helping and they lived their lives trying to please them rather than go against them. For me, three stories stick out the most in this book: Going to work in the plantations, mothers who had babies were to put them in a trough (similar to those where water was placed for horses) far from the plantations so the mothers could not hear their babies cries and go comfort them. One day, it began to heavily rain and the mothers were not allowed to reach their children until after their work was done. Running to the troughs, the mothers found all of their babies drowned and the slave owner didn't even pay them a penny for their loss. Another story is when, at the auction block, slaves were lined up like cattle and though starved for many days, the slave sellers would rub meat on the slaves teeth to make it appear they were eating healthy as well as dressing up fancy to make a good presentation while being observed and later bought. Families were torn apart at the auction block. A husband and wife were separated and their child too bought by a different slave owner. The mother ran to the slave owner and begged to buy her as well. All the slave owner did was smile and kicked her, laughing as he did so and walked away with his new slave boy. Lastly, a slave owner trying to move his slaves to a neighboring state so as to keep them from being set free, rode upon his horse chewing on some food while over 30 of his slaves, the women tried together with rope and the men latched like oxen in metal cuffs around their necks and arms, strode behid him. A mother with her calves distorted and body heavily weakened, knelt in the road as she could go no farther. The man didn't hesitate and immediately shot her in front of the road and continued his progression. Sadly, this book is so very real you'll feel the pain and hurt within the first page but it's so informative and written in a way that captivates the reader. So pick up the book and begin the story of the slaves. -Reviewed by Nikki, grade 8.