Product Description

Unavailable for several years, Virginia Hamilton’s award-winning companion to The People Could Fly traces the history of slavery in America in the voices and stories of those who lived it. Leo and Diane Dillon’s brilliant black-and-white illustrations echo the stories’ subtlety and power, making this book as stunning to look at as it is to read.

“There is probably no better way to convey the meaning of the institution of slavery as it existed in the United States to young readers than by using, as a text to share and discuss, Many Thousand Gone.”
—The New York Times Book Review

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #581561 in Books
• Published on: 2002-01-02
• Released on: 2002-01-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 160 pages

From Publishers Weekly
The inspired pairing of this Newbery winner and these two-time Caldecott recipients has yielded a heartfelt and ultimately heartening chronicle of African Americans from the earliest days of slavery to the 1865 ratification of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, which abolished slavery in this country. Made up of succinct yet compelling profiles of celebrated and lesser-known individuals, Hamilton's narrative deftly peels back time's layers and lends an unusual immediacy to this critical chapter in American history. In brief, chronologically arranged entries that even reluctant readers will find easy to absorb, the author first offers accounts of slaves in the pre-Revolutionary War era, many of whom were taken from their homes in Africa and sold to slave traders. Included are descriptions of the appalling shipboard conditions during the "middle passage" from Africa to America, which a shocking 30% of the ill-treated passengers did not survive. Hamilton neatly condenses the tales of such notable freedom crusaders as Gabriel Prosser, the Virginia slave who was hanged for organizing a failed revolt in 1800; Tice Davids, allegedly the first slave to escape by traveling the "underground road" from Kentucky to Ohio; passionate abolitionists Sojourner Truth and Frederick Douglass; and Harriet Tubman, the former slave who made more than 20 journeys back to the South to lead others to freedom. Hamilton's account takes note of the legislation passed by the federal government over the years--both protective of and damaging to the rights of African Americans. Her final reference, however, is optimistic, if somewhat oversimplified. She writes that after the Civil War, African Americans "were able to find the best in life," including seeking education, finding jobs, owning land and living together as families. She concludes: "They did all of these things almost as soon as the war was over. For 125 years they have continued to do so." Throughout the volume, the Dillons' dramatic, full-page, black-and-white art offers stunning portraits of the individuals profiled, poignantly conveying their anguish, determination and hope. A Children's BOMC selection. Ages 9-14. (Feb.) .
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 4-9-- From the beginning of slavery in America to the end of the Civil War, hundreds of thousands of slaves escaped to freedom in the Northern U. S. and Canada. Their struggle, as well as the struggle of those who failed and those who were once free and then captured into slavery, comprises the theme of this history. Hamilton offers brief vignettes of almost three dozen figures. Among them are a prince lured to a neighboring kingdom and sold into slavery and a desperate mother whose escape over an icy river inspired a scene in Uncle Tom's Cabin . Well-known figures are included, as are such lesser-known people as Henry Box Brown, who had a sympathetic carpenter nail him into a box and mail him North; or Tice Davids, whose escape in 1831 led to the coining of the term "underground road." Although the emphasis is on African-American figures, biographies of whites who risked prison to help slaves to freedom are also included. The vignettes are lively, readable, and written with a poetic flair that distinguishes this book from most collective biographies for this age range. All of the stories shed a different light upon Hamilton's themes and the factual information she presents as an introduction to each theme. Her research is impeccable. The Dillons' black-and-white illustrations are refreshingly original, conveying the emotion and drama of the experiences described; text and visuals combine to create a powerful and moving whole. Reluctant readers and those with little prior knowledge will find this book unusually approachable with its short chapters, lively writing, and ample white space. --Lyn Miller-Lachmann, Siena College Library, Loudonville, NY
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews
Taking as her theme the ``joyous anthem of freedom,'' beginning with ``No more auction block for me,'' Hamilton samples documented African-American lives from 1619 through the Civil War. Grouping 34 accounts under three headings--``Slavery in America,'' ``Running-Aways,'' ``Exodus to Freedom''--she offers telling vignettes in roughly chronological order, deftly sketching indomitable people valiantly endeavoring to escape. Restricting herself to almost unembellished historical record, Hamilton presents what is known with a cool austerity that makes her subtext even more forceful: though the injustices are representative, these lives are exceptional in having left traces, however meager. The anecdotal fragments are masterfully chosen to illustrate the cruel commonplace, as well as to rehearse pivotal events (Dred Scott) and examine extremes (caught by a posse, Margaret Garner killed her beloved daughter in order to keep her from slavery). As always, Hamilton's prose is concise, lucid, and fresh (Henry Brown's owner ``thought Henry to be happily humble, slow to think and act, inferior in all ways. But Henry was watchful and quick-witted, ever hopeful...''). Along with a splendid jacket of runaways emerging into a dawn of hope, the Dillons provide powerful b&w illustrations of heroic figures of monumental simplicity, handsomely set in dramatically spare compositions. A compelling book, outstanding in every way. Bibliography; index. (Nonfiction. 9+) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Customer Reviews

Opression
The purpose of the book Many Thousand Gone by Virginia Hamilton is to teach others about the many struggles slaves went through and how some people were kind hearted enough to help.

Virginia intended this book for many audiences. She wanted everyone to know about the slavery times.

This book has many stories from the beginning to when slaves were brought over from Africa, to Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, and when the Union enlisted black troops.

I would recommend this book to anyone because it is very informative, interesting, and thorough in its descriptions in what slaves went through.
Bethany H

Many Thousand Gone
An excellent collection of stories of early African Americans, Many Thousand Gone begins with the first slaves arriving in the United States in 1619 and goes through the close of the Civil War and the end of slavery. Each chapter relates an easy to read account of people who represent the events surrounding slavery, particularly during the 1800s. Accounts of escapes along the Underground Railroad are included as well as the stories of individuals who played a significant part of black history. These include Nat Turner, Harriet Tubman, Soujourner Truth, and many others. All in all, this book was a joy to read and very informative.

Many Thousand Gone
I would definently reccomend this book to anyone, especially someone who is interested in learing about slavery like myself! The purpose of this book is to tell where and when slavery began. This book in my opinion is mainly for people who are interested in history; mainly slavery.
Renay G