Review by Booklist Review
In 1879, discouraged by the lack of opportunities for Black people in Natchez, Mississippi, 11-year-old Lettie Grier's father decides that their family will travel by covered wagon to Nebraska, where homesteading lands are free and they can make a fresh start. The trip is beset by pitfalls (crossing torrential rivers, suffering illness and death, and facing wild weather including hailstorms) but also filled with surprising new friendships and camaraderie with the other passengers traveling with them. This novel in verse is narrated by Lettie; her mother, Sylvia; and 18-year-old Philomena, an orphan hired to be the new teacher in the Nebraskan town of North Platte, giving the narrative a feminist perspective that conveys the frustrations of women who often had little choice in whether they made these journeys. The verses read smoothly and, although completely lacking in punctuation, will be accessible to young readers. Additional historical context can be found in the lengthy author's note, which offers more information on Black homesteading and acknowledges the theft of this "free" land from Indigenous peoples.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Three generations of Black women--young Lettie, her mother, and teacher Philomena--take turns narrating a challenging westward journey in this gripping historical verse novel, set in 1879. After learning about land that they can own and operate in Nebraska, Lettie's stubborn but ambitious father urges the family to leave Mississippi; he believes that migrating west and living as homesteaders will provide them with better economic prospects. Traveling in small communities known as companies, Lettie and nine other families journey westward; during their expedition they traverse turbulent rivers and encounter infectious disease all while being mindful of their dwindling finances. Lettie's pregnant mother tries to maintain morale among her children, but the relentless travel conditions begin to take a toll on her. Along the way, they meet Philomena, who offers herself--and her meager but needed capital--to Lettie's family as a helping hand in exchange for safe passage west. Though the alternating perspectives are occasionally repetitive, through them Cline-Ransome (Being Clem) depicts a harrowing tale. The novel's slow-burn pacing and the meticulously layered intersections of each protagonist's experience deftly captures the lengths to which Black people--particularly women--would go in pursuit of freedom in the post-Reconstruction era. Ages 8--12. (Mar.)
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Review by Horn Book Review
In 1879, Lettie's African American family begins a westward journey from Natchez, Mississippi, to Nebraska, where her father seeks a better life for them. "We can't live free / on someone else's land / picking someone else's crop! / I need something to call my own." Eleven-year-old Lettie, her parents, and her two younger brothers load all they can into a wagon and join a caravan of ten families journeying on flatboat and on foot. Cline-Ransome's spare free-verse narrative centers three skillfully developed female voices: Lettie; her mother, Sylvia; and eighteen-year-old Philomena, on her way to her first teaching job in Nebraska. Lettie keeps track of the miles and spending on supplies while Sylvia does her best to keep the children's spirits uplifted. Philomena joins the family in Missouri, gaining passage in exchange for help with cooking and laundry. The treacherous terrain, extreme weather changes, and unforeseen tragedies are overwhelming at times, but the sense of community among the travelers offers a prevailing sense of hope. This is a captivating story about African American homesteaders and their claims to land promised them after the Civil War. Pauletta Brown BracyMarch/April 2024 p.84 (c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
An African American girl and her family experience hardships as they leave Mississippi for a better life out West. Lettie is growing up in Natchez in 1879 when her father, Thomas, decides the family should join a wagon train heading to Nebraska. There he would no longer have to work on a white man's land but could acquire his own property. Lettie's mother, Sylvia, is reluctant to leave her family, but Thomas is determined. When the steamships taking travelers up the Mississippi River to St. Louis leave Black groups behind, they band together to take an alternate route. The families become a community, even electing leaders--although Thomas is disappointed and resentful when he isn't chosen for a top position. The journey is arduous, but Lettie, with her head for numbers, records their miles and tracks their supplies. Their family dynamic changes when a young woman named Philomena, who's heading to Nebraska for a teaching job, joins their wagon. Along the way, her presence becomes fortuitous. This is a beautifully crafted novel in verse: Cline-Ransome once again demonstrates her incredible literary skills as characters' personalities are revealed by their actions. The intergenerational voices provide depth as the events unfold, and the emotionally resonant writing is rich in details that add texture and meaning to this unique depiction of African American homesteaders that's full of resilience and hope. A deeply moving story that centers a distinctive part of the African American story. (map, author's note) (Verse historical fiction. 8-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
