Speak a Word for Freedom

Starred review from August 24, 2015
Readers who think of slavery as an institution relegated to the past will be enlightened by this engrossing study of female abolitionists from the 18th century to the present day. Familiar figures include Harriet Tubman and Harriet Beecher Stowe, but the majority of the individuals will likely be new to many readers. Among them are Ellen Craft, the daughter of a slave and a plantation owner who disguised herself as a white slave master to travel north with her black husband; missionary Alice Seeley Harris, whose photographs documented atrocities committed against Congolese rubber workers; and Micheline Slattery, who was enslaved in both Haiti and the United States and now speaks out on behalf of other victims. A powerful indictment of human rights abuses and tribute to the women who have fought them. Ages 12–up.

July 15, 2015
The authors of the outstanding global history Five Thousand Years of Slavery (2011) offer an equally impressive collection of 14 profiles of women who, from the 18th century to the present, have heroically championed emancipation and an end to human bondage. The chronicle begins with the remarkable story of Elizabeth Freeman, a slave in Massachusetts who successfully sued for her freedom in 1781 on the grounds that the state constitution adopted a year earlier made slavery illegal. 19th-century profiles include abolitionists Ellen Craft, Harriet Tubman, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Frances Anne Kemble, and Elizabeth Heyrick, who worked at the forefront of the British anti-slavery movement. Representing the 20th century are Alice Seeley Harris, an English photographer who brought worldwide attention to slavery in the Congo Free State, and Kathleen Simon, who exposed the widespread practice of child slavery in China. Contemporary portraits include Hadijatou Mani, who successfully sued her own government of Niger in 2008 for failing to protect her from slavery, and Nina Smith, executive director of GoodWeave International, which seeks to end child slavery in the handmade rug and carpet industry. An inspiring collection of those who have fought and continue to fight against the evil of slavery and an effectively solemn reminder that slavery remains a global plague. (photos, source notes, index) (Collective biography. 12-16)

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October 15, 2015
Grades 7-10 More than two dozen women who have acted to bring an end to slavery are presented here in their own words, archival images, and engaging and analytical narrative biographies. Beginning with the eighteenth century, when Elizabeth Freeman won her case for freedom on the basis of the new Massachusetts state constitution, the narrative moves to various black and white abolitionists active in America and Britain during the nineteenth century. More contemporary battles for freedom include twentieth- and twenty-first-century women working to end slavery in China, Niger, the Caribbean, and among rug makers in Afghanistan, India, and Nepal. In the varied, informative, and clearly written accounts, Willen and Gann address each woman's personality, opportunities, and accomplishments. With the exceptions of Harriet Tubman and Harriet Beecher Stowe, most of the women featured will be new to most readers. The powerful message, that the fight to end slavery is ongoing and depends on a wide variety of actions and individuals, will both educate teens on this important issue and inspire them to take active roles in civic life.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)