Dennis B. Fradin

There aren’t many aspects about slavery worth celebrating, but every once in a while there is a story that can redeem your faith in humanity. … well, a part of humanity, at any rate.

This book tells the true story of three slaves from Kentucky - John Price, his cousin Dinah, and his friend Frank - who crossed the Ohio River to freedom in Ohio, where slavery was outlawed. But they couldn’t rest easy: part of the compromise legislation of 1850 was a toughening of the Fugitive Slave Act, show more which allowed slave owners to capture and return runaways from anywhere in the U.S. Aiding slaves was made a federal crime. Aiding slave owners, on the other hand, was now a lucrative operation. The main hope slaves had was to make it to Canada, where slavery had been outlawed since 1834.

The trio of slaves split up, since slave hunters would be looking for three slaves traveling together, and John and Frank ended up in Oberlin, Ohio, where they decided to remain. Slave hunters soon followed; they had been promised $500 per slave, equivalent to $13,000 each in today’s money.

John was captured, but the citizens of Oberlin didn’t just turn their backs. Hundreds of Oberlinians worked together to rescue John. While they did reclaim him from the slave hunters, he vanished after a few days. No one knows what became of John, Dinah, and Frank.

The rescuers were considered heroes by some and criminals by others, including most Southerners. The U.S. Government under President James Buchanan sided with the slaveholders, and thirty-seven men in Oberlin were sent to jail for three months.

After their sentences were up, the town of Oberlin had a big celebration and pledged:

No fugitive slave shall ever be taken from Oberlin either with or without a warrant, if we have power to prevent it.”

Eric Velasquez employs lush, full-color oil paintings as well as mixed media to show the range of emotions and the drama of this episode in history. He also provides accurate representations of this time period.

The final image is a large reproduction of an 1859 photo of the actual rescuers taken in the courtyard of the jail.

Back matter includes an Author’s Note, bibliography, suggestions for further reading, and a list of relevant websites.

Evaluation: This inspiring story can introduce a number of issues to kids, such as divisions in the country prior to the Civil War, and the difference between rule of law and moral imperatives. show less

Zora! is one of the best young adult history books I have ever had the pleasure to read. It is coauthored by Dennis Brindell Fradin, award winning author of more than 220 young adult books, and his frequent collaborator and wife, Judith Bloom Fradin.

This book is well-researched, and includes excellent citations as well as a timeline, and information to help readers find further resources. It is divided into chapters. The authors even touch upon inaccuracies in previous biographical works on show more Hurston, while providing explanations for the many mistakes other researchers have made along the way in unpacking Hurston's complex web of fudged truths - a web perhaps created out of economic necessity.

Extensive excerpts from Huston's own works really bring the subject matter to life, and underscore for more advanced readers the sophistication and genius of her writing, both creative and academic. The biography covers the span of her life, from birth to death, as well as the Hurston revival that came in the 1970s, decades after her passing.

The authors do not shy away from the fact Hurston was a controversial figure in African American society and politics, though they do present the material perhaps less bluntly that one would expect in a book written for adults. Overall, the writing is clear, and even difficult points are easy to understand. Additionally, the text is written with no-holds-barred in a way that honors Hurston's work and spirit. It incorporates photographs and primary documents, further enriching the book.

Zora! provides an excellent jumping-off point for teachers hoping to collaborate outside their specialties within the realm of the humanities, as it incorporates history, creative writing, folklore, anthropology, economics, and even playwriting. Alice Walker's famous essay on Hurston could be incorporated as an additional nonfiction resource. Also, for more intrepid teachers, Zora! provides an opportunity to discuss the complex history of racial politics in America, which is an inextricable part of any examination of Hurston's life. show less

The story of Burr and Hamilton's deadly feud is a lesson from which we can all learn. Fradin has done a fine rendition of the feud, suggesting through his narrative that Burr and Hamilton shared certain character traits in common that eventually led them to become adversaries: they were both orphaned at a young age, fought in the Revolutionary War, were aides to George Washington, became lawyers, and campaigned for political office. They also knew of one another and resided in the same show more community. One can imagine that they were largely influenced by each other in their career choices as well.

Although we cannot tell exactly where the animosity originally started, Fradin suggests that it began when Burr won a Senate seat in 1791, defeating Burr's father-in-law. This is reportedly the beginning of Hamilton's strategy of slander against Burr. Hamilton's maligning was partially responsible for Burr's defeat in two election campaigns. I applaud the author for offering his readers the possible non-violent alternatives to feuding (either adversary could have chosen a non-violent solution). Hopefully, children who read this book will learn to use these rational approaches in their own struggles against verbal opponents. In a war of words, there is always a way to compromise before violence breaks loose. Fradin evaluates these options carefully, showing his reader what Burr and Hamilton could have done to deescalate the tension between them. They could have gone about the matter like formal politicians instead of reverting to the illegal and barbaric custom of dueling. Unfortunately this was not the case.

Granted this is an excellent book with beautiful illustrations, I have a few criticisms of the narrative. This narrative does plenty of things well. However, it doesn't show a "war of words". While it shows two political figures engaged in a rivalry rooted in their past, it only reports that Hamilton's verbal attacks spurred Burr's buff. Did Burr ever verbally attack Hamilton? A "war of words" would imply that if Burr had been a little more politic and verbally crafty, playing by Hamilton's own game, this might not have escalated into a duel. Another option for Hamilton would have been to simply apologize for the alleged offense. Although Hamilton was responsible for the verbal, and Burr for the physical threat, they are both implicated as responsible in the end. Fradin includes an appendix where he suggests that both men were repaid for their misdeeds: Burr lived out the rest of his life in ignominy and was forgotten by history, while Hamilton paid with his life and is commemorated today in myriad public works.

Another interesting facet of this book is that the narrative is mostly past tense. However, Fradin chooses to narrate the duel in present tense, giving a greater sense of immediacy to the situation. Granted that there are not many words in this narrative, and that the typeface is very large, it is important for the grammar to be correct. There is at least one point in the narrative where past tense is used mistakenly where past perfect should have been used ("each brought" should be "each had brought").

This book is as a cautionary tale with a moral. I feel the author's sympathy is slightly in favor of Hamilton, though. There is an Appendix section entitled, "The End of Dueling", where the author informs his readers about the history of dueling until it became illegal. For young readers, this would be great book for bullies or victims of bullying. show less

Should a child ever complain that history is boring, do not hesitate to present them with Dennis Brindell Fradin’s Duel! Burr and Hamilton’s Deadly War of Words. The tale alone is exciting, somewhat humorous and very, very true, and is certainly well-matched with Larry Day’s illustrations, drawn with all the movement and urgency of a graphic novel but without the panels.
As many may already know, Alexander Hamilton was one of the politicians that signed the U.S. Constitution, while show more Aaron Burr was Vice President to Thomas Jefferson. Both gentlemen had difficult childhoods, came of age in New Jersey and served as aides to General George Washington during the Revolutionary War. It was here that their quarrels began, when Washington embraced the confrontational Hamilton but thought Burr was a troublemaker and dismissed him. From then on their hatred of each other only increased, both seeking to undermine the other over years of political climbing. After Hamilton sabotaged Burr’s campaign to become New York’s governor, Burr proclaimed that Hamilton must apologize to him or fight in a duel. Readers can assume Hamilton’s choice based on the book’s title, but will enjoy experiencing the events unfold regardless.
Duel! is perfect for any classroom social studies curriculum covering America’s first years as a fledgling nation. Students will get a kick out of re-imagining the once-stoic and wise figures of the portraits in their textbooks as perpetrators of a scandalous and childish rivalry that lasted for years. show less