Kristina R. Gaddy

Traces the impact on four young people of their well-known abolitionist families.

Abolitionists were outspoken and unrelenting in their efforts, and their kids were deeply affected by growing up “in high-achieving families with expectations of dedicating their own lives to the unpopular and often dangerous anti-slavery cause.” Gaddy explores the response of four teens to their families’ work. Lucy McKim, daughter of Miller McKim, the white president of the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery show more Society, observed the arrival of the formerly enslaved people her father assisted on their journeys to freedom. Lewis Douglass, son of abolitionist Frederick Douglass, had similar experiences, which were complicated by his father’s own escape from bondage. George Garrison, son of William Lloyd Garrison, the passionate white founder of the newspaper the Liberator, shared his father’s goals but disagreed about the best methods of achieving them. In Philadelphia, Charlotte Forten came from a long line of free Black Americans who supported their community and antislavery causes, but she attended school in Massachusetts due to segregation laws at home. Each teen sought and found their own way to carry on the legacy that formed them. This fascinating, well-researched work looks at young people who were not only coming of age in tumultuous times but whose communities were important forces shaping these events. The rich use of primary sources provides a compelling immediacy that will draw readers in.

Engaging and original narrative nonfiction offering insights into how historical lives resonate today. (bibliography, notes, index) (Nonfiction. 14-18)

-Kirkus Review show less

Disclaimer: I received this book in return for a review.

Well of Souls is a book of history. As the title says, it follows the banjo's evolution from 1687 to the 1850s in the Americas, it mostly follows the history of the African Americans who brought the ancestor to the banjo with them when they were enslaved and brought to North and South America as slaves. Observing paintings and drawings from the time period, as well as writings from slave owners, and other free people, in which they show more provide descriptions of what they saw. Along the way she tells us how the instrument evolved from 3 strings to the common 5 today. She makes no mention of the 4 string banjo that was common in the early 20th century, but she stops the history in the 1850s, so that is reasonable. Overall, I found this fascinating reading, though it was more about social evolution than musical. I enjoy reading about history, so this was in my wheelhouse. The book is well written, and I'd recommend it to anyone who likes to learn about history. show less