Freedom Braids
by Monique Duncan
You must sign in to see if this title is available for request. Sign In or Register Now
Send NetGalley books directly to your Kindle or Kindle app
1
To read on a Kindle or Kindle app, please add kindle@netgalley.com as an approved email address to receive files in your Amazon account. Click here for step-by-step instructions.
2
Also find your Kindle email address within your Amazon account, and enter it here.
Pub Date Sep 10 2024 | Archive Date Dec 17 2024
Publisher Spotlight | Lantana Publishing
Talking about this book? Use #FreedomBraids #NetGalley. More hashtag tips!
Description
Gather the midnight strands,
tend the roots that gave you life,
weave hopes into pathways—
paths that lead you home.
Day after day, Nemy sows seeds, pulls weeds, and strips leaves in the sugarcane plantation where she is enslaved. But one night, she follows a woman called Big Mother to a hidden shack. There, she finds a group of women braiding each other's hair. But these are no ordinary braids. Hidden in each elaborate pattern is a secret—a message signaling their intent to flee and a map to guide them in their escape. Will the paths these courageous women weave bring Nemy to a new home where she can be free?
A picture book of love, liberation, and legacy inspired by the true story of enslaved African women in Colombia braiding maps to freedom.
Advance Praise
"A poignant tale of courage and resistance and of long-standing cultural traditions."―Kirkus Reviews
"A poignant tale of courage and resistance and of long-standing cultural traditions."―Kirkus Reviews
Featured Reviews
Shannon K, Reviewer
Such an empowering and informational book. I really liked how the author wrote a book about a horrible historical event, but made it age-appropriate and not a total downer of a book. Rather than leaving readers with a dark cloud over their heads, readers are left with a better understanding of Black culture in the time of the Transatlantic slave trade, and are inspired and empowered by stories of how enslaved people used hair as a pathway to freedom and a source of hope. This message was perfectly conveyed through well-done and greatly detailed illustrations. The illustrator is truly so talented, and is able to breathe life into a book through art. This relationship between message and art also makes this book amazingly unique, and it will definitely breathe new life into the world of children's books. Lastly, this book's plot made a lot of sense, and started/ended at good spots.
Bravo!
Readers who liked this book also liked:
Jacqueline B. Toner, PhD; Claire A. B. Freeland, PhD
Children's Nonfiction
