Nightjohn

By: Gary Paulsen

Narrated by: Michele-Denise Woods

Life on the Waller plantation is harsh and bleak. Twelve-year-old Sarny knows that it won’t be long before she will be forced to leave Mammy and join the other young women who serve the master’s household as breeders. Then one day a new slave arrives, bought from an overseer for a thousand dollars. He comes in a bad way, walking in front of the horses and Waller’s ready whip. His back is covered with scars as thick as Sarny’s hand, but he holds his head high and doesn’t seem to mind that everyone is watching him.

Sarny doesn’t know yet, but Nightjohn’s arrival is about to change everything. For that very night, in exchange for a plug of tobacco, Nightjohn begins to teach Sarny the letters of the alphabet. With enough time and tobacco, she will be able to read. Sarny has gotten as far as the letter J, when Waller catches her tracing the word BAG in the dust on the road. The punishment for teaching someone to read is severe. What will happen if Waller finds out who Sarny’s teacher is? Will her precious gift of learning be lost forever?

Newberry honor-winner, Gary Paulsen, offers a graphically realistic and historically accurate portrayal of slave society in mid-19th century America.

©1993 Gary Paulsen (P)1993 Recorded Books

very good

showed me how brutal slavery really was. www. google.com https://www.google.com/ e e e e

Quick but good.

A quick and powerful insight to the brutal world of American slaves and the determination of the human spirit.

Excellent book!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I loved this book! Being African American, sometimes it is difficult for me to indure slavery stories beyond a certain point. What occurred during American slavery was appalling and I find myself becoming so depressed I can not finish the story. I love that Paulsen's book includes the hardship of slavery without making the story too unbearable to stomach. It is honest, yet leaves a sliver of purposeful hope for Sarny through her hero of the story, Nightjohn. I look forward to reading more about Sarny as well as other Paulsen books.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Nightjohn, because he sacrificed freedom to give more to others in bondage.

Which character – as performed by Michele-Denise Woods – was your favorite?

Sarny.

Great for classroom use

This book was a great addition to our slavery unit in school, and allowed students to follow along and be more engaged in the story through the great story telling.

Good Short Story

This was a quick but very interesting read. It left me wanting to know more about this storyline.