"It's 1848 in the Deep South of America. Rosa is a slave but her owner is also her father and her fair skin means she can 'pass for white'. With the help of her husband Benjamin, she disguises herself as a young southern gentleman - and Benjamin's master. In this guise, the couple flee the South, explaining away their lack of literacy, avoiding those they have encountered before and holding their nerve over a thousand miles to freedom.Inspired by the amazing true story of Ellen Craft who escaped a life of slavery through a daring disguise and won freedom for herself and her husband."How do you review a book that shows the very best of human resilience and bravery while at the same time showing the very worst of what we are? With fiction, especially dystopia and fantasy there is an element of detachment. Historical Fiction doesn’t give readers the allowance of shifting what inspired the story.
A gentle story about a terrible part of history. You really feel for Rosa and Benjamin. In passing herself off as a white gentleman, Rosa gives us a stark view of the attitudes to slavery and what they meant personally to those enslaved. Not always violently hurt but seen as household pets and kept aggressively in their place, not seen as fully human despite being equally deserving of rights and respect. Told in a clear, simple and concise way that should not hide from children what it must have been like, but also shouldn't overly frighten them.
I love this book for Rosa’s story. Her narration is amazing, all her emotions feed into the reader and in a short space of time you learn a lot. I appreciate that Tanya Landman did not censor the language; I feel that this is important.
Passing For White is special and inspiring. It’s also draining and important. I would love this book to be in schools and also in book clubs because I think there is so much for discussion.
Age Rating Mature 12+.
No comments:
Post a Comment