I Thought My Soul Would Rise and Fly: The Diary of Patsy, a Freed Girl, Mars Bluff, South Carolina, 1865

Being a lover of history and historical fiction, I've been very excited about trying out the Dear America series for quite some time. Since all the books are written by different authors, I'm not sure how they compare to this one, but I was very pleased with my first foray into the series. I Thought My Soul Would Rise and Fly chronicles the life of a freed slave girl a few months after emancipation was voted into law. I was pretty sure the book was a work of fiction, but the author did such a good job with making the story believable that I had a few moments of doubt until reading the historical notes at the end which confirmed that it was. Patsy was a sweet, lovely, and very relatable character to read about. She is only about twelve show more or thirteen when the story open, and to the outside world she isn't much to look at. In addition to being an orphan, Patsy is painfully shy because of a severe stuttering problem, and she also walks with a pronounced limp. Inside though, she is a very brave and strong girl who secretly taught herself how to read and write during a time when the punishment for doing so could have been extremely severe. I really like how Patsy grew a lot throughout the story and became braver and more readily able to speak as time went on. She also takes so much joy and comfort from her reading that when she reads aloud, her stutter all but disappears. I really liked how the author put emphasis on the importance of literacy by showing how much it means to Patsy.

Through reading I Thought My Soul Would Rise and Fly, I was able to learn some things about what life was like for freed slaves. I found it interesting that their day to day lives weren't all that different after emancipation than they were before it, with the exception that they were now getting paid, albeit very low wages, for the work they were doing. Many of the former slaves from the plantation where Patsy lived left immediately, hoping to buy land of their own or find better work in the cities. Many stayed behind to become sharecroppers or to continue working as servants. There were conflicted feelings among them, and even in Patsy's mind, as to whether it was better to go or stay, and there were certainly positives and negatives to both sides of the coin. It was very interesting to learn about all of this, and the author's historical notes at the end of the book also helped to put things in perspective.

I don't believe I have ever read a book in diary format before, so I don't know if this is a typical example of a book written in that style or not. The one downside I found about this style, at least in the case of this book, is that it could be rather repetitive at times. For example: Every Monday is wash day; nearly every Tuesday the freed slaves have a Union League meeting where they discuss their rights and read the newspapers; nearly every Sunday they meet in the arbor for worship services. There is some variation in each of these entries, so it didn't bother me overmuch, but I could see how this could become tedious to kids who might be reading it. There were also a lot of characters to keep track of, and I found myself forgetting who various people were on occasion, which would probably mean that kids might have trouble with this too. I think the author's purpose was to show how lonely Patsy felt as more and more of the people she knew and had grown up with left the plantation, but it was a little hard to keep them all straight. Otherwise, I really enjoyed the book, and I am definitely looking forward to reading more books in the Dear America series. I think that this series and its companion series, My America, My Name Is America, and The Royal Diaries all have a great deal to offer both child and adult readers. show less

This story is written in the form of the diary of Patsy, an orphaned slave, who has secretly taught herself to read and write. After the Civil War ends and slavery is abolished, Patsy believes her master will keep his word and pay the former house slaves and provide an education for the slave children. But when Master Davis ignores his promise to establish a school, and the Freedmen's Bureau can't send a teacher, Patsy steps in to teach the students, old and young, to read and write. This story gives insight into the emotional, mental, and physical transitions the slaves went through as they learned how to live as a freed people. The book includes photos from the time period, as well as other historical pictures and memorabilia. A show more Coretta Scott King Award Honor book. This book also has an audio version available. show less

In this story, it is written in diary format and tells all about Patsy, a recently freed 12-year-old slave girl who is still working on her old plantation, Davis Hall. She is now working for wages though. After being awarded her freedom, she was given a blank book by a family member of the plantation owner as a joke because slaves were not educated. Little did they know that Patsy discretely learned how to read and write when she was a slave. The diary becomes her best friend as she talks about the troubles she endures now as a freed black girl in the post-Civil War south. This Coretta Scott King Award winning book talk about an often overlooked part of American history, Reconstruction. The south was in shambles and at the mercy of the show more victorious northern states. Many slaves who were freed more than two years previous by the Emancipation of Proclamation, are now getting their first taste of freedom and all the tribulations and hardships they endure because of their freedom. In this book it has a very personal touch because it evokes emotions from a little girl that would be about the same age as the reader of this story. This would be a good book to have students learn about post-Civil War and the Reconstruction period after the Civil War in 1865. show less

This story is told from the point of view of a recently freed disabled girl in South Carolina. Over the course of the novel, Patsy considers what it means to be free, to have autonomy, and to find one's voice. In addition to the well-researched history that is being taught in this book, the growth of Patsy's character is wonderful. It is also so wonderful to have a disabled narrator, especially in historical fiction, where they are frequently excluded from the narrative all together.

The Dear America books offer a wonderful way to teach children American history. I thoroughly enjoy reading them myself.... and as a homeschooling Mom, I consider them a very valuable educational resource.

On this particular book..... I will say, that while it is one of my favorites in the series, and one I feel the most important for my children to read, us being a Southern family..... I do wish Hansen had written this in a more believable prose.... this is supposed to be the diary of a 12 yr old freshly emancipated slave girl, who only recently learned to read and write by eavesdropping on the lessons of other children.... it's highly unbelievable that her grammar would have been so advanced.

I enjoy these "Dear America" books and this is one of the best. It is interesting to find out about how the slaves adjusted after supposedly being set free. They were supposed to be paid, but got barely more than the room and board and token pay. Many thought they might as well stay, but a lot looked for a better life elsewhere. The historical background at the end of the book enlightened me on more of the problems of the day. Patsy was the only one on her plantation who could read, but of course kept it secret until she started teaching the young ones how to read also.

I thought this book was incredible! My favorite part about the book was the way it was formatted. The story was written in a diary format by a girl named Patsy who was a slave, but then became free and her desire to learn and go to school. I loved the diary format because it gives history which isn’t always a favorite subject, a less intimidating approach. The diary format also challenges students to recognize and realize that the people who were experiencing different events had feelings too, just like students today have feelings. I think it makes the story and the characters more relatable and an easier concept to understand. I also loved the overall message of determination and perseverance. Patsy never gave up in achieving her show more goal to read, even when her masters and the Freedman’s Bureau made it difficult to do so by not providing a school and teacher. This story serves as the perfect reminder that everything is possible if you work hard enough and don’t give up.
I would recommend this book for students in upper elementary school. This book is part of huge series of different historical events told from the perspectives of kids. There is definitely a wide range of choices for every student! show less