Product Description
"To know things, for us to know things, is bad for them. We get to wanting and when we get to wanting it's bad for them. They thinks we want what they got . . . . That's why they don't want us reading." --Nightjohn
"I didn't know what letters was, not what they meant, but I thought it might be something I wanted to know. To learn." -- Sarny
Sarny, a female slave at the Waller plantation, first sees Nightjohn when he is brought there with a rope around his neck, his body covered in scars.
He had escaped north to freedom, but he came back--came back to teach reading. Knowing that the penalty for reading is dismemberment Nightjohn still retumed to slavery to teach others how to read. And twelve-year-old Sarny is willing to take the risk to learn.
Set in the 1850s, Gary Paulsen's groundbreaking new novel is unlike anything else the award-winning author has written. It is a meticulously researched, historically accurate, and artistically crafted portrayal of a grim time in our nation's past, brought to light through the personal history of two unforgettable characters.
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Amazon.com Review
Imagine being beaten for learning to read, shackled and whipped for learning a few letters of the alphabet. Now, imagine a man brave enough to risk torture in order to teach others how to read; his name is Nightjohn, and he sneaks into the slave camps at night to teach other slaves how to read and write. Celebrated author Gary Paulsen writes a searing meditation on why the ability to read and write is radical, empowering , and so necessary to our freedom. These skills threaten our oppressors because they allow us to communicate--to learn the real status of our slavery and to seek liberation. In this tightly written, painful, joyous little novel is a key that may unlock the power of reading for even the most reluctant teens.
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 An exceptionally fine film. ( sudie80 )
I cannot say too many good things about this production. I was tired when I ordered it, so was surprised when it came and I discovered that there were no sub-titles! Anyhow, I was impressed with the quality of the production, the "telling-it-like-it-was", the acting which was VERY fine, the story which rings true, etc. etc., and it made me ashamed all over again of the treatment imposed upon black slaves in the south in the 1800's. I truly hope that the guilty white plantation and slave "owners" sincerely repented of their oppression of the blacks before they died!
The story centers around "Nightjohn", a black adult slave who somehow managed to learn to read & write elsewhere (some of the dialogue explained this I'm sure, but without subtitles I missed it), and he takes it upon himself to teach this secretly to a little 12-year old slave girl, which is punishable by death if he's caught. But he risks it. Beau Bridges plays the part of the evil slave-owner, and does a great acting job, for you really hate him!!
This is an excellent movie, and should be seen by everyone who wants to know how things were in the 19th century in the USA. A valuable lesson can be gleaned from this movie, that we are all human beings and as such are all children of our Heavenly Father, regardless of our race or color, and therefore are all of us brothers and sisters. A concept strange and apparently hard to accept by some, but nevertheless true. Too bad that it took LAWS to eliminate slavery, instead of love for each other.
If this DVD offered subtitles, I'd give it TEN stars!! (at least) But again let me say that it is in no way an ameteurish production! Top-notch all the way!
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 NIGHTJOHN
This book was an excellent read. It gave a real insight into what the slaves went through in the 18th and 19th centuries and the hardships they endured; however, many did everything they could to get away from these horrible situations. It was a sad story but well worth reading.
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 Slave Girl Learns to Read ( a1luciano )
Sarny was a twelve-year-old slave girl living with many other slaves on the farm of a cruel slave owner. She never really thought much about her own situation, but just carried on from day to day. She knew the things that would get her into trouble and tried her best not to do them.
John, a new slave, looks like trouble. His back is completely scarred, like he has been whipped many times. He doesn't seem like the kind of slave who will be obedient, and he confirms this assumption when he says that he managed to escape to freedom once but was caught when he came back to help those who were still slaves.
In exchange for a little tobacco Sarny had hidden away, John begins to teach her the letters of the alphabet, saying that when slaves are able to read and write, they will have the power to record what is happening to them, which is something white slave owners don't want. Sarny knows that being able to read and write is something that she would be greatly punished for if her master found out, but she can't seem to resist the letters John shows her. But Sarny is careless with her writing. Will she end up causing trouble for everyone around her?
John was a great character. He was noble and strong and brave, which I would imagine were hard qualities to hold onto if a person were a slave. I found it hard to believe that Sarny's owner would have bought John when his scars showed that he was obviously trouble to his owners. I'd think the slave owner would also have been much more careful to make sure he couldn't influence any others like he influenced Sarny.
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Too Much Explicit Language ( mlwdaw )
I was not prepared for the language this book had in it! I did expect a few curse words to be included because of the subject matter. But I was not prepared for parts of the book to be totally littered with God's name being used in the manner it was. I was disappointed in this because, up till now, we have loved the Gary Paulsen books we have read. The book is very good and gives a good picture of what really went on. But our family, personally, could have done without the language.
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I <3 literarture class ( joannea27 )
i bet 10 bucks that half of the class is going to cut and paste one of these reviews. i probably will to.
P.S. i here that this is a pretty good book, read it....or else
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