Freedom Over Me: Eleven Slaves, Their Lives and Dreams Brought to Life - Ashley Bryan

Bacus. Mulvina. Athelia. Qush. Dora. Peggy. Jane. John. Betty. Charlotte. Stephen. These names don’t sound familiar for a reason: they belong to slaves whose stories were lost in the oblivion of hatred, inhumanity, and racism— until three-time Coretta Scott King Award winner Ashley Bryan came into possession of the 19th-century document that listed them as property for sale. In Freedom Over Me (Atheneum, $17.99), Bryan pays tribute to each of these individuals with a portrait and two poems, one to describe the reality of life on the plantation and one to give voice to dreams that never came true. This is a deeply moving book that will carry the names of these now-unforgotten souls into the hearts of readers young and old. Ages 10-14.