Harriet Tubman, Force of Nature: A Biography in Poems
This book is an invitation to celebrate the life of an incredible woman. Born enslaved in 1822, snatched from her mother five years later and hired out, Harriet Tubman faced illness, injury and hardship that could have erased her from the world. But with love, faith and hardship, facing immense adversity during one of the worst moments in US history, she emerged as a true force of nature. Her story is told here in poetry.
Page after page of lyrical, expressive writing offers a unique look at the life of Harriet Tubman. Tubman is seen as a child with a deeply rooted attachment to nature; learning to read the stars and move through the forests silently unafraid of the creatures that may lurk there. We see her use her knowledge of the natural world to escape from the cruelty of slavery; to find freedom for herself and the other enslaved people escaping tyranny. Each poem, with its glorious movement and economy of language invites the reader into her world in a way that is personal and intimate, like secrets being told only for your ears. Accompanied by glorious illustrations, the tale told bursts out until it sings through everything there is. The collage/mixed media imagery echo the piecing together of a life, with rich colours and textures with each one reflecting the time, mood and action held within the words. The reader feels every bit of her story, in the way only poetry can give.
A joy to read aloud.
