Over the years I have found Ann Rinaldi's books to be good historical reads about events or people that you don't always hear much about. In the case of this title, the main character is Harriet Hemings, daughter of slave Sally Hemings and probably Thomas Jefferson. In the book, Harriet and her siblings have all been raised as slaves but with light work loads. They have also been educated and told that when they reach the age of 21 they would have their freedom. Harriet is approaching her 21st birthday but is unsure if she wants to take her freedom. She tells her brother Beverly that she loves the master (Jefferson) and doesn't want to leave him or Monticello. Beverly finally convinces her by telling Harriet that Jefferson lists them, their two younger brothers and their mother in farm journals as just any other slave would be listed....that there is no written record anywhere in the house of what Sally was to Master Jefferson. Harriet has help in planing her leaving from Thomas Mann Randolph, Jr., Jefferson's son-in-law and the governor of Virginia at the time. Randolph makes sure that Harriet has any and all training and education necessary for Harriet to pass--to live as a white woman.
Much of what I've read in Ann Rinaldi's books appears to be very close to factual. In this case, Harriet was not freed in real life, but Jefferson never reported her as a runaway and never tried to coerce her into coming back to Monticello. Reading something like this always makes me want to find out more about the people in the story and what happened to them in real life.
Happy Reading!!
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