HISTORICAL FICTION

Paulsen, Gary.  1993.  NIGHTJOHN.  New York: Delacorte Press.
ISBN:  0385308399

PLOT SUMMARY

   Sarny is a twelve year old slave whose mother was sold away when Sarny was four.  She was raised by Delie, a "mammy" who raises all the young children of the slaves on the Clel Waller plantation.  One day Sarny overhears Mrs. Waller complain that her husband "went out and bought another hand...over a thousand dollars."  Nightjohn is brought in schackled and scarred from countless beatings.  He later reveals to Sarny that he has escaped to the north before, but returns to teach other slaves to read and write.  Sarny understands the danger and is drawn into both tragic and triumphant possibilities.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

   Gary Paulsen uses both authentic voices and disturbing exactitude to render this story of courage, prejudice, and the value of literacy and freedom.  The story is told by Sarny, "There's some say I brought him with witchin', brought Nightjohn because he came to be talking to me alone but it ain't so.  I knew he was coming but it wasn't witchin', just listening."
   The historical context is clearly represented and Paulsen uses very vivid descriptions to portray the inhumane conditions provided and brutal torture practiced by slave owners.  The book jacket flap states that the book was "meticulously researched", but there are no notes or explanations of the details of the research.  Paulsen also communicates the defiance and determination of Nighjohn, who risked his life to spread the forbidden skills that would be necessary for freedom.  As Susan Rogers stated in her review in School Library Journal in March 1993, "In just 92 pages of fairly large print and simple phrases, Paulsen exposes the horrors of slavery, along with pointing out the lengths some have taken to acquire the skills that most people take for granted."


REVIEW EXCERPTS

Publishers Weekly
"Among the most powerful of Paulsen's work, this impeccably researched novel sheds light on cruel truths in American history as it traces the experiences of a 12-year-old slave girl in the 1850's"

School Library Journal
"The stunning impact of this novel is similar to Toni Morrison's BELOVED.  NIGHTJOHN should be required reading (and discussing) for all middle grade and high school students."


CONNECTIONS

*This book could be used in any discussion or study of slavery in the United States.

*Other books with similar themes:
  YOUNG FREDERICK DOUGLASS:  THE SLAVE WHO LEARNED TO READ, by Linda Walvoord Girard, 1994.
   YEAR OF IMPOSSIBLE GOODBYES, by Sook Nyul Choi, 1991.
   ONE MORE BORDER:  THE TRUE STORY OF ONE FAMILY'S ESCAPE FROM WAR-TORN EUROPE, by William Kaplan, 1998.