American Slave, American Hero: York of the Lewis and Clark Expedition

The main issue with the book is that of tone and perspective. We know that, unfortunately, York left nothing in his own words for us to dissect; one of the many tragedies of slavery. (The same is true for Sally Hemings.) Just as unfortunate is the fact that much of the information we do have about York comes from the very people who initiated and benefited from the system that silenced his voice in the first place. I've always been fascinated by York, and because I had never read this book before, I was hoping for something different that the usual fare about him. But that was not the case, and I was disappointed as a result, particularly since this is a book for children. I don't think that the book emphasized just how horrible slavery show more was, even for those who may not have faced especially harsh treatment (but even saying that is problematic.) And the reader still doesn't get anything new or learn at least a sliver of information about York that doesn't fall into familiar patterns. The same is true for other groups. For example, referring to different Native American tribes as "friendly" versus "not friendly" has always been a pet peeve of mine. As a side note, I still find it hilarious that Clark didn't know how to spell. show less

This picture book was an informative way to learn more about a lesser-known individual on the Corps of Discovery- otherwise known as the Lewis and Clark Expedition. York, the slave of William Clark, accompanied him on the expedition. He was an invaluable member of the team and regarded as "big medicine" by the Indians, which meant something unexplainable and awe-inspiring. His strength-both physical and mental-were a great asset at all times. The author incorporated primary source documents into his story, and acknowledges that little is known about parts of York's life, so the word "probably" was written to show that conjecture was used to fill in those gaps. He writes the story with York as the main character and focuses on his show more contributions to the life of Clark and eventually the Corps of Discovery. Most pages contain a large amount of text, so the book does not seem babyish. The illustrations are detailed and complement the text. The story follows the entire life of York, including a sometimes fractuous relationship with his master, Clark. Treated as a biography, this book would supply a good deal of information about its subject, York. High school appropriate. show less

This award winning book gives the probable biography of an African American slave named York. York was a slave to William Clark of the Lewis and Clark expedition. York assisted Clark in every aspect of the journey from getting leaves for eatting to dancing at a New Year's party for entertainment. Clark eventually freed York. Years after York's death, he was promoted to the rank of honorary sergeant, Regular Army, by Bill Clinton.

I truely enjoyed this book because it told the Lewis and Clark story from a different perspective. Most people forget that there were other people involved since they are not talked about in the history books. The illustrations helped tell the story and showed that York was a happy person. I also enjoyed this show more book because it shows that York, an African American slave, was a true hero. We never hear about the goodness of slaves in history books.

I would use this story in a unit of heros. A good activity would be to act out the story so the children would get a feeling of what the Lewis and Clark expedition may have been like. An exploration activity would be to go to the playground or somewhere the children have not been and have them write about what they see and feel. show less

3) Nonfiction
Pringle, Laurence. Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu illus. (2006). American Slave, American Hero: York of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Calkins Creek Books.

This book is about a slave named York who grew up with William Clark, in fact being his personal servant from childhood. It chronicles a different side of the story of the Lewis & Clark Expedition. From information taken from journals, we know York actually greatly contributed to the success and survival of both the expedition and its members. The book introduces terms that we don’t use today like Keelboat, as well as gives an historical overview on daily life in the early 19th century. York is highlighted as someone who was revered because of his skill at show more hunting, as well as his differences (being of color). The Native Americans think he is “great medicine” because of his size and color.

We need more books like this. It really gives a much richer historical overview than many books on the expedition called “The Corps of Discovery”. The book chronicles the daily journey and struggle the explorers faced. The illustrations give such an extension to those daily struggles. We don’t know what York looked like because they did not paint slaves back then. With the illustrator’s eye, we get an image of York and the time he and the others lived in. The blending of colors, an almost spotting effect, lends to the antiquity and almost otherworldliness of the story. Each page shows the action before it is read.

I would recommend this book for ages 9-12 because it is useful in studying social studies units, not to mention the importance of African Americans in history. I would compare the cultural diversity differences of then and now. show less

This Sequoyah award book told the story of the Lewis and Clark expedition from a slightly different slant than others I've read. This one told the story of a private slave to William Clark named York. The author did a very authenticating the information. The illustrations were very well done and matched the story line. I felt very involved with the story all along the way.

I really enjoyed this side of the Lewis and Clark expedition story. A lot is written about those two and Sacagawea, but not about the other people who went on the trip and their involvement with getting supplies, etc. Most people had not seen a black man so were interested in him.

I think it would be fun for the kids in the class to take paper and pencil and go outside show more and make their own map. They could make a key to explain different elements that they put on their map.
This would be a good book to have the children act out as a play. show less

This book is about York, William Clark's personal slave. York was with Clark on his expedition and helped him a great deal. The two boys grew up together, journeyed together, and struggled together. York's story is heart wrenching and triumphant.

This book was interesting because it was an important time in history the Lewis and Clark Expedition. During the expedition thier was and important man named York who was a black slave and somewhat a lifelong partner to Clark. He grew up with him and became a friend and a confident. It is interesting because there are probably a lot of stories from the past that involve blacks and whites being closer than what they appear to be. This was interesting because I love history.