Three women narrate a perilous wagon journey westward that could set them freeāor cost them everything they haveāin this intergenerational verse novel that explores the history of the Black homesteader movement.
1879, Mississippi. Young dreamer Lettie may have her head in the stars, but her body is on a covered wagon heading westward. Her father, Thomas, promises that Nebraska will be everything the family needs: an opportunity to claim the independence theyāve strived for over generations on their very own plot of land.
But Thomasā hopesāand mouthāare bigger than his ability to follow through. With few supplies and even less money, the only thing that feels certain is danger.
Right after the war ended/and we were free/we believed/all of us did/that couldnāt nothing hurt us/the way master had when we were slaves/Couldnāt no one tell us/how to live/how to die.
Lettie, her mother, Sylvia, and young teacher Philomena are free from slaveryābut bound by poverty, access to opportunity, and patriarchal social structures. Will these women survive the hardships of their journey? And as Thomasā desire for control overpowers his common sense, will they truly be free once they get there?
Coretta Scott King Honor-winning author Lesa Cline-Ransomeās striking verse masterfully portrays an underrepresented historical era. Tackling powerful themes of autonomy and Black self-emancipation, Cline-Ransome offers readers an intimate look into the lives of three women and an expansive portrait of generations striving for their promised freedom.
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection