a wonderful, fresh and amazing story of Harriet Tubman and 4 enslaved persons who traveled with her, her brothers and closest friends coming back to life in modern age to tell her story and "shake up" the hate and confusion surrounding her story and slavery
written in a very young adult (16+) friendly way, this book would be a fun way to educate yourself
Harriet enlists the help of producer, song writer and ex BET talk show host Darnell Williams (i saw bob the entire time) to create a hip hop track and LIVE show
while creating the album the story of Harriet Tubman is told, what it means to be free and what the idea of Harriet Tubman represents,
darnells story intertwines and more personal things are revealed that asks the question: is he truly free

Credit to the author: this is an interesting and unique context/set up - deceased historical figures have “returned” to the present day. This context is not explored beyond the bounds of the story, which does not detract from the plot, but at the same time I would’ve loved to learn more about the ramifications of the "returned" more broadly (perhaps if this had been a full length novel or series we would get more of that).

What we do get though is a fun and interesting storyline that is rich in both historical information and present day sociocultural influences. And while the writing is fine, the strength of this as a whole is how it reimagines history, making critical historical insights accessible for today’s readers while also making “learning” fun and relevant. I don’t think I’m the target demographic here, but I certainly enjoyed learning more about the people (Harriet Tubman and co.) who lived in a certain historical context (mid-late 1800s during the slave trade and Underground Railroad era of the USA), and I enjoyed how the author mashed up that history with rap lyrics and elements of the present day music industry and its challenges.

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.