Willow

November 11, 2013
A solid historical foundation, strong characterizations, and lyrical descriptions highlight Hegamin’s rich novel about slavery and black/white relations before the Civil War. Set in 1848 on the border of the Mason-Dixon line, the story follows two black teenagers: a motherless 15-year-old slave, Willow, and an educated 17-year-old freeborn boy, Cato, passionate about helping fugitive slaves. Eventually their paths cross, but even then the focus remains strongly on Willow and her struggle between being a devoted daughter and fifth-generation slave on Knotwild Plantation and her hunger for education. Willow is taught to read and write by the fair-minded and kind master, Reverend Jeffries, and her poetic voice resonates from the opening pages: “The tree bowed to the edge of the river in such a polite way that it looked as though the tree were asking the river for a waltz.” Hegamin (M+O 4EVR) creates a broad spectrum of believable black characters, while white roles (excepting Rev Jeff) are relatively minor and rarely sympathetic. Tension and suspense infuse the book, but build most effectively in the final scenes, when freedom seems unattainable. Engrossing and educational. Ages 14–up. Agent: Jeff Dwyer, Dwyer & O’Grady.

January 1, 2014

Gr 7 Up- Willow is an affecting novel set in 1848 Maryland, on a plantation just south of the Mason-Dixon line. Fifteen-year-old Willow is favored by her master, Rev. Jeff. Despite the laws against educating slaves, he has taught her to read and write, although he forbids her to read anything but the Bible. With terribly cruel plantation masters as her neighbors, Willow feels fortunate to have a place in a good home with a "kind master." Just over the Pennsylvania border, Cato, a young black man, born free, is determined to assist as many slaves to freedom as he can. When their lives intersect, Willow's worldview is thrown into question and she is faced with a monumental decision. Hegamin has crafted a suspenseful coming-of-age novel filled with captivating and poetic language. Character building is strong, and Willow's growth and transformation is both heartbreaking and inspirational. A must-read for those who enjoy historical fiction.-Tiffany Davis, Mount Saint Mary College, Newburgh, NY

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2013
An educated slave girl struggles against the confines of race and gender in this coming-of-age story set in 1848 on the Pennsylvania-Maryland border. Fifteen-year-old Willow, taught to read by her master, writes letters at her mother's grave, located within sight of the granite Mason-Dixon Line marker. Papa, whom Willow adores--until she finds out what really has happened to her mother--is as controlling as any white master and determined to marry Willow off to a brute from the neighboring plantation. Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award-winning author Hegamin (Most Loved in All the World, 2009, etc.) juxtaposes Willow's first-person narration with Cato's story: a free black 17-year-old aspiring to lead slaves to freedom. When the teens' lives intersect, they fall in love at first sight, precipitating tumultuous results. This arresting story, richly historical, with an engaging narrator and well-drawn secondary characters, is unfortunately marred. The authenticity of Willow's voice, with its awkward sentence structure and dialect, may make the book difficult to access for many in the intended audience. The lack of distinct chapters adds to confusion, as the narrative shifts between the two main characters' stories. The author has researched deeply, but historical tidbits adding local color are so numerous as to impede the plot's progression and even to feel didactic. A gripping but uneven exploration of the anguishing impact of slavery. (Historical fiction. 14-17)

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February 1, 2014
Grades 9-12 Willow is the daughter of Knotwild Plantation's manager and the favored slave of Reverend Jeffers, a plantation owner known to be soft with the whip. Willow has a horse, reads books from her master's immense library, and keeps a journal with each entry addressed to her late mother. But her father's determination to marry her off is causing a rift between them, since the man he has chosen is a boorish slave from a nearby plantation. Her decision making is further complicated by the presence of Cato, a free black man she discovers aiding an escaped slave. With an unflinching eye, Hegamin explores the complicated relationships created by slavery and the horrors specific to being a female slave. While the slow reveal of Willow's family secrets require patient readers, the final exploration of those secrets creates a beautiful parallel to Willow's current dilemma. Duty, love, and the freedom to be a fully realized human being make up the crux of this stirring tale.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)