When Harriet Met Sojourner

This is the story, the author writes, of “two strong, brave black women [who] wanted America to fulfill its promises to allow each and every American to be born free and live in a land of equal opportunity.”

Sojourner Truth was born to enslaved parents in New York around 1797 and named Isabella Bomefree. Harriet Tubman was born a slave in Maryland around 1825, named Araminta. The author tells readers about each of them and their experiences as slaves. When both of them managed to escape slavery, each of them took a new name, and both worked to help others gain their freedom.

The author recounts that they were both on speaking tours in Boston in 1864, and she speculates that they must have met. Whether they did or not, it provided the show more author an opportunity to share both of their life stories.

Shane Evans adds his glorious mixed-media collages to the story. The illustrations alone make the book worth perusing. show less

I really enjoyed the full (left) page illustrations matched up with the accompanying text on the right side of the right page. By only taking the right third with text it allowed the pictures to stretch across the majority of the the book. The illustrations did have a sad feeling drawn into them obviously because of the topic but the illustrator's somber drawings move into pleasant ones as the women find freedom and each other. The colors and facial expressions progressively become more positive as the story goes along.

Summary: Two women follow their personal convictions to end the pain and suffering they both share. One is born in Maryland and one in New York. Through their daily activities of serving their masters, one takes risks and verbally delivers chastisement to engulf labor laws, while the other conceals slave runaways when these laws weren't adhered to.

Review: A good book that encapsulates two prior slave girls who choose to stand up for legal rights that many slaves had no idea allowed them freedom. The girls; unbeknownst to each other, eventually meet in an Boston Railroad Station. Nothing was communicated historically, but much is diliberated of what they discussed. Both continued their travails for freedom in unique ways to expound on show more how freedom actually became the law it is today.

Extension Ideas: A great book to raise interests of historical events, geography, past and future political issues and policies, and raising standards within our heritage and culture. show less

This book is about Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth. It tells a story of their lives before the Civil War, how they grew up, and how their lives took them down a path that brought them together. They are both powerful black women who will forever be a big part of our nation's history.

I truly enjoy reading this kind of book. I love books about cultural history. I thought this book was written very well. It brought these women's stories to life.

We could make a timeline of both women's lives, mapping out history and dates. We could also have a math lesson on how old the women were, and how old they were when they died.

LFL find. Deeply unsatisfying. Nothing is known of the meeting, so the title misleads. Back matter much too sparse, esp. because of no bibliography. I'd rather read (or teach) more complete biographies of each woman separately, then do compare & contrast of their lives and works, rather than read someone else's compressed and forced c&c.

This book is a true story about to women who were born slaves but died free and hero’s to many. The book narrates the lives of Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth. Both women were born slaves but found their own ways to gain freedom. Truth went on to become an advocate for the rights of blacks and women. Tubman fled slavery and returned to the south many times to help other slaves make it to freedom. After the civil war Truth and Tubman met, because there were no notes about their meeting the writers of the book could only spectate on their meeting.

This is a great book about strong African Americans in history. This gives a positive message to black children and educates children of different races about history. This would be a great show more book to introduce a unit on the civil war.

1.) Use this book to introduce a unit on slavery or the civil war.

2.) Have an open discussion about slavery. show less

Summary: This is a biography about two African American women who grew up in slavery. Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth both had a heart of courage and strength empowering them to fight for their freedom. After witnessing the evils of slavery, they dedicated their lives to help others receive their freedom also. Harriet Tubman was part of the underground railroad, and Sojourner Truth was a strong and tall speaker who preached and lectured about the rights of an African American. After meeting, they aren't sure if they would see each other ever again, but deep in their hearts they knew that they would never forget each other.

Personal Reaction: I really like this story and think it is great for children. I personally love biographies and show more this story was written so that a young student would be able to easily understand.

Classroom Extension Ideas:
A. This story can be told during a time when the teacher is explaining about slavery and how it was abolished.
B. This can also be told when the teacher is explaining some main people who were against slavery and helped abolish it. show less