Publisher's Weekly Review
Dunbar (Never Caught, the Story of Ona Judge) and Buford (Good as Gold) pull inspiration from the 1902 autobiography of Susie King Taylor (1848--1912) to spotlight one of the first Black nurses during the Civil War. Based on the creators' "informed speculation," as referenced in an author's note, this biographical work endeavors "to estimate what Taylor would have experienced--even though she may not have told us about her feelings" via an intimately rendered first-person voice. Though Susie was born to an enslaved woman in Savannah, Ga., she and her siblings lived with their formerly enslaved grandmother Dolly, who owned a laundry business. Because of her grandmother's influence, Taylor was able to secretly gain an education that would later provide her with opportunities to teach, nurse, and support the 33rd U.S. Colored Infantry Regiment, one of the very first Union Colored Regiments, while a teenager. Following the war and emancipation, she went on to become one of the key figures in establishing an educational system for formerly enslaved children in Georgia. This captivating work concludes with Taylor's original manuscript, which highlights her personal experiences and provides contextualizing information. Ages 10--up. (Sept.)
Kirkus Review
A work of historical fiction inspired by--and presented alongside--a Black woman's firsthand account of her experiences as a Civil War nurse. The story opens in Savannah, Georgia, where Susie Baker lives with her grandmother Dolly, who was born enslaved but now manages her own laundry business. Susie's mother is enslaved on the Grest Farm, but Dolly persuaded Mr. Grest to let Susie and two younger siblings live in the city with her. Susie dreams of freedom and secretly attends a school run by a free Black woman; later she's tutored by Mrs. Beasley, who teaches her about history, civics, and current events, including the debate over abolition. After Susie and her siblings are sent back to the Grest plantation, her uncle and his family decide to run away to join the Union Army. Susie, now 14, joins them. She works with the Union Army, organizing a laundry business and school and becoming one of the first Black nurses. An epilogue touches upon Susie's life after the war, including her move to Boston and her work as an advocate for Black children's education. The confident voice of the first-person narration brings history to life in a thrilling way and will resonate with readers. Taylor's original memoir, published in 1902, is included in full, allowing readers to juxtapose the two texts. A remarkable true story about harnessing one's inherent dignity in a hostile world. (authors' note, list of troops, list of battles) (Nonfiction. 11-16) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
This latest volume in the Rise, Risk, Remember series limns the remarkable life of Susie King Taylor. Born enslaved in 1848 in Georgia, she spent her early years with her grandmother, who arranged for her to go to a secret school to become literate. (It was forbidden for enslaved people to learn to read.) She later fled to freedom at the age of 14, becoming a laundress, nurse, and teacher for the First South Carolina Colored Troop. There, she had an up close and personal view of the Civil War, an experience the narrative highlights in a first-person voice. After the war, she became one of the first Black women to publish a memoir. The coauthors append the text of her short book, which provides original source material for their own book. They acknowledge that, in addition to using the first person voice, they have employed "informed speculation" to imagine additional experiences that Taylor must have experienced. The result is history, yes, but with a twist.