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criticalmiss's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Such a personal account of the author's journey at finding out her ancestry. Going through history, her relatives living in slavery, how she is related to people integral to emancipation. Told in poetry with beautiful illustrations by her son.
A middle grade book that had me looking stuff up to further educate me.
A middle grade book that had me looking stuff up to further educate me.
thenextgenlibrarian's review
4.0
Fans of Door of No Return will love this MG novel in verse by the mother-son team.
xangemtheelibrarian's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
The author wrote in her note at the end that she hoped to honor her ancestors in telling their stories through the poems she wrote as she learned to listen to them.
She did a beautiful job. She brought each one of her found ancestors to life, each one speaking to us through her poems. This is a portrait of a family that was stolen from their home, enslaved, and despite the hardships, they rose up and became the founders of a town. This family's strength and resilience is something to be looked up to.
She did a beautiful job. She brought each one of her found ancestors to life, each one speaking to us through her poems. This is a portrait of a family that was stolen from their home, enslaved, and despite the hardships, they rose up and became the founders of a town. This family's strength and resilience is something to be looked up to.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Slavery, and Trafficking
takanico's review
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.25
libraryani's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
thenextgenlib's review
4.0
Fans of Door of No Return will love this MG novel in verse by the mother-son team.
southern_librarian's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
EpicFest 2023 illustrator. And this one was written by his mom! So a mother-son collaboration. Really powerful words. It's a series of poems that poignantly express the journey to finding and claiming one's ancestors as a Black person. Even though a series of poems, I took my time to read and absorb them and to admire Jefferey's wood-cut style illustrations. This was a moving and eye-opening read.