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| Image Retrieved from Freewater (Newberry and Coretta Scott King Award Winner) |
Freewater is a 384-page novel very loosely based on potentially real historical events. The story is told through multiple points of view: Homer, a 12-year-old enslaved escapee, Anna, his best friend he left behind on Southerland Plantation, Sanzi, a young girl born in the Freewater colony, Nora, the plantation owner's daughter, and more. The story follows Homer and his little sister Ada as they escape from the plantation where they were born. They end up having to leave their mother behind, as she went back to free Anna and was caught and beaten. Out in the wilderness of the swamps, a man named Suleman finds the children and rescues them by offering protection and leading them to Freewater, a colony established by escaped former enslaved persons and their freeborn children deep in the swamps away from the reach of plantation owners. After an accidental fire, the children worry about Freewater's security and devise a plan to go back to Southerland Plantation to free Homer's and Ada's mother and Anna. In the end, the children's mission is successful and they save their mother and many others, establishing a finally-free home in the Freewater colony.
My Impressions and How I Would Use This Book:
Luqman-Dawson does an amazing job at describing the brutal realities of enslaved persons without being so graphic that the content is no longer suitable for children. I wouldn't personally use this book in instruction, but I would definitely encourage students to read it and would have a copy in any classroom probably 4th grade and up. Depending on the students' maturity level, a third grader could potentially read this book and get a lot out of it, but I disagree that it's appropriate for second graders entirely. There's just a lot of brutality and violence, from whipping to branding, mentioned in this story.
Professional Review:
"Two youngsters escaping slavery find refuge.
Twelve-year-old Homer and his little sister, Ada, become separated from their mother as they attempt to flee enslavement on the Southerland plantation. They are rescued by Suleman, who takes them deep into the Great Dismal Swamp, where they join Freewater, a community of people who successfully fled from slavery and children who were born there. They work together to remain free, support one another, and remember the history of their founding. Suleman is one of the men who patrols the swamp, watching for any who would seek to reenslave them. He and others raid neighboring plantations for supplies. Freeborn Sanzi, 12, is determined to be a hero like Suleman—even if it gets her into trouble—and when her efforts go badly wrong, it places their settlement in danger. Meanwhile, back at Southerland, Homer’s mother has been caught and severely whipped. This does not keep Homer’s friend Anna from plotting her own escape while Homer seeks a way to rescue his mother. Set in a fictional community but based on real stories of those who fled slavery and lived secretly in Southern swamps, this is detailed and well-researched historical fiction. The characters are varied, complex, and fully realized. Descriptions of the setting are so vivid that it becomes a key aspect of the narrative. The page-turning action will engage readers as the story reaches a satisfying conclusion.
An exceptional addition to the resistance stories of enslaved people. (author's note) (Historical fiction. 8-12)
Audience: Children's
ISBN: 978-0-316-05661-8
Author: Luqman-Dawson, Amina"
Retrieved from: FREEWATER. (2021). Kirkus Reviews, Lxxxix(24) https://login.ezproxy.jbu.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/trade-journals/freewater/docview/2609003417/se-2
APA Citation:
Luqman-Dawson, A. (2022). Freewater. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.
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