SuitabookCry of courage
Lee Roddy
- Reading
- Because the historical setting and slavery-related material may prompt difficult questions, pause to clarify unfamiliar terms and distinguish each character’s viewpoint from the book’s overall judgement. Revisit Nat’s family goal thoughtfully; its outcome remains unclear.
- Themes
- Power and enslavement: Nat is enslaved, secretly educated and determined to become free and help his family escape to Canada. The book?s stance on this remains unclear.
- Conflict and divided loyalties: Emily’s abolitionist background clashes with the Confederate beliefs of the relatives with whom she is forced to live. The conflict is presented through a young person with limited control over her circumstances; whether the story resolves or complicates these opposing positions is unknown.
- Dreams under pressure: Gideon’s family needs him on the farm, threatening his dream of becoming a writer, yet the ambition continues to drive him. The story sets personal aspiration against family need and danger, without establishing whether either claim is ultimately prioritised.
- Worth knowing
- Expect emotionally weighty material, including Emily’s recent orphanhood, Nat’s enslavement and separation from his family, harsh punishment, grave danger and conflict between abolitionist and Confederate beliefs.