Freedom Over Me: Eleven Slaves, Their Lives and Dreams Brought to Life by Ashley Bryan

(Hardback)

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Imagine being looked up and down and being valued as less than chair. Less than an ox. Less than a dress. Maybe about the same asa lantern.

You, an object. An object to sell.

In his gentle yet deeply powerful way, Ashley Bryan goes to the heart of how a slave is given a monetary value by the slave owner, tempering this with the one thing that CANT be bought or solddreams. Inspired by the actual will of a plantation owner that lists the worth of each and every one of his workers, Bryan has created collages around that document, and others like it. Through fierce paintings and expansive poetry he imagines and interprets each persons life on the plantation, as well as the life their owner knew nothing abouttheir dreams and pride in knowing that they were worth far more than an Overseer or Madam ever would guess. Visually epic, and never before done, this stunning picture book is unlike anything youve seen.

Reviews

Bryan gives voices to the voiceless and presents the dreams of slaves who went to the grave without living them.Using historical slave documents from the 1820s to the 1860s, Bryan brings to life 11 slaves who once belonged to Cado Fairchilds. When Fairchilds dies, his British-born wife decides to sell off the slaves and move back to England. Each of the 11 is given two double-page spreads to speak in. Accompanied by a free-verse first-person narrative, an illustration of each slave's portrait appears in a varied palette of warm browns against a backdrop of documents related to historical slave sales. On the page adjacent to this illustration, the slave tells of the special skill he or she possesses that enriches the Fairchilds plantation. But on the following two pages, that same person explains what he or she dreams of doing with that talent. In contrast to the dull initial portrait, the second set of pages for each slave appears in full color and shows the speaker fully immersed in a caring community. The speakers' talents include carpentry, music, sewing, cooking, and more. After including the price under each slave's picture, Bryan offers a final tally for the completed sale, humans, livestock, and goods: $3,476.05. Bryan makes real and palpable what chattel slavery meant and how it affected those who were enslaved; every child who studies American slavery would benefit from experiencing this historically grounded web of narratives. (author's note) (Picture book/poetry. 6-10) -- Kirkus, STARRED REVIEW * 7/15/16 *
Using a document from 1828 that lists the value of a U.S. landowners 11 slaves, Bryan (Sail Away) creates distinct personalities and voices for each, painting their portraits and imagining their dreams. He starts with the wife of the slave owner, who felt her husband was good to their slaves (He never hired an overseer). But its quickly clear that good slave ownership is an oxymoron: I work hardall profit to the estate, their cook Peggy observes. Bryan shows that the enslaved had secret lives of their own: Years ago blacksmith Bacus and I/ jumped the broom/ the slave custom for marriage. No legal form for slaves. They cherish their traditions, call each other by their African names (I am Bisa, Greatly Loved), dream of escape, and long for freedom. His portraits show the men, women, and children gazing out at readers, the contours of their faces traced as if carved from wood, while strong rhythmic outlines mimic stained glass, echoing the sense of sacred memory. There are few first-person accounts of slaves, and these imagined words will strike a chord with even the youngest readers. Ages 610.Using a document from 1828 that lists the value of a U.S. landowners 11 slaves, Bryan (Sail Away) creates distinct personalities and voices for each, painting their portraits and imagining their dreams. He starts with the wife of the slave owner, who felt her husband was good to their slaves (He never hired an overseer). But its quickly clear that good slave ownership is an oxymoron: I work hardall profit to the estate, their cook Peggy observes. Bryan shows that the enslaved had secret lives of their own: Years ago blacksmith Bacus and I/ jumped the broom/ the slave custom for marriage. No legal form for slaves. They cherish their traditions, call each other by their African names (I am Bisa, Greatly Loved), dream of escape, and long for freedom. His portraits show the men, women, and children gazing out at readers, the contours of their faces traced as if carved from wood, while strong rhythmic outlines mimic stained glass, echoing the sense of sacred memory. There are few first-person accounts of slaves, and these imagined words will strike a chord with even the youngest readers. -- Publishers Weekly *STARRED* * July 4, 2016 *
Inspired by a document appraising the value of 11 enslaved people (along with livestock and cotton) in anestate for sale in the antebellum South, this exceptional book presents the imagined faces and voices ofindividuals whosesociety, against all reason, regarded them as less than human. Each person appears in afour-page section, opening with a page of free-verse text opposite a riveting head-and-shoulders portraitwith a grim collage background ofslavery-related documents. A banner reveals the persons appraisedvalue, master-imposed slave name, and age. Inthe text, these individuals introduce themselves, their roleson the estate, and the skills (cooking, blacksmithing, sewing) they take pride in. On the second doublepagespread, a verse text offers more personal reflections on theirAfrican roots, their love of family, andtheir dreams, while a more detailed, colorful painting expresses theirheritage, their strength, and their richinner lives. Their humanity shines through, showing the tragedy of their status and the gross absurdity ofassigning prices to people. Longing for freedom is a constant theme, made all themore poignant by theappraisal documents date: 1828, decades before emancipation. Clean and spare, the versebrings thecharacters to life, while in the radiant artwork, their spirits soar. Rooted in history, this powerful,imaginative book honors those who endured slavery in America. Carolyn Phelan -- Booklist, STARRED REVIEW * August 1, 2016 *
In 1828, Mrs. Mary Fairchilds, now widowed, tired of life in America and decided to return home to Britain, which means selling her American estateincluding eleven slaves. Each of those slaves is given voice by Bryan, with two free-verse poems apiece; one focusing on the speakers life and another on the speakers dreams. The poems focus on the subjects strong ties to their African heritage (most are charac- terized as first generation slaves who themselves traveled the middle passage), the meaning they find in the human connections theyve made and their skilled work, and on the economic value that work brings to their owner. Those verses operate in stark, even shocking contrast to the portraits captioned with each subjects sale price as well as name and age. The portraits, created with heavy use of black line for shaping that gives the carved detail of wood sculpture, are eloquent and individual; they gain even more power from another layer of irony as collage backgrounds of legal paperwork and newspaper items about slave ownership and auctions contrast the slaves humanly rich lives with the cruelly summary discourse. Like McKissacks Never Forgotten (BCCB 11/11), this is a story that links enslaved people to their African past and their accomplished workmanship, and its a high-impact treatment in a compact and accessible format that may inspire creative works in response as well as reflective discussion. End matter includes an authors note about Bryans intentions and his historical collection of slavery-related documents and adds information about the spiritual from which the title is drawn. -- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books * October 2016 *
A historical document dated July 5, 1828, lists the property to be sold from theFairchilds estate. Hogs. Cattle. A handmill. Men. Women. Children. While noinformation beyond the gender and nameand priceof each of the eleven
enslaved people is noted in the appraisal of the estate, Bryan lovingly restores theirhumanity and dignity, giving them ages, true African names, relationships, talents,hopes, and dreams. Here is the account of eleven human beings, all of whomare aware of what they contribute to the Fairchilds plantation and, more importantly,what they would like to contribute to the world. Each slave is affordedtwo double-page spreads of poetry: the first spread serves as his or her introduction;the second is devoted to his or her dreams. We meet Peggy, the Fairchildscook, who is praised by the Fairchilds for the spices she adds to meals at the BigHouse. In Peggy Dreams, she remembers her life in Africa and reveals that shesproud of her ability to heal injured fellow slaves through her work with roots and
herbs. Bacus is known for his metalwork in fencing the Big House, but his dreamadmits that the pounding of the metal is an outlet for anger, for ragea blow forjusticea cry for respect. Bryans art is just as intentional. Facsimiles of the historicaldocument serve as background for each slaves introduction page, portraitsof their faces taking precedence as they gaze out at the reader. The portraits areetched in a manner similar to wood carvings, suggesting the mask each slave wearsfor day-to-day life on the plantation. In contrast to the dry, parchment-like tones
of the introductions, the dream spreads are in gloriously brilliant colors, as bold asthe aspirations of the individuals themselves. -- Horn Book Magazine *Starred Review* * November/December 2016 *

Author Bio

Ashley Bryan (19232022) grew up to the sound of his mother singing from morning to night, and he shared the joy of song with children. A beloved illustrator, he was named a Newbery Honoree for his picture book,Freedom Over Me. He also received the Coretta Scott KingVirginia Hamilton Lifetime Achievement Award; the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award; was a May Hill Arbuthnot lecturer; a Coretta Scott King Award winner; and the recipient of countless other awards and recognitions. His books includeFreedom Over Me;Sail Away;Beautiful Blackbird;Beat the Story-Drum, Pum Pum;Let It Shine;Ashley Bryans Book of Puppets; andWhat a Wonderful World. He livedin Islesford, one of the Cranberry Isles off the coast of Maine.