This book is appropriate for grades 3-5. Sojourner Truth was born a slave in Ulster County, NY who was moved around from several different masters before se ran away to become a free women. She was called Belle and she spoke dutch and later learned English. She had parents and sibling but they were sold off to other slave owners in NY state. Belle was forced to marry a man she did not love and had children with this man. She could not stand her master anymore and ran away to a neighboring farm where they kept her safe. She left her children behind. When she found out they her old master was selling her 5 year old son to a master in another state she went to court because this was against the law. Slaves could not be sold between states. She won her case which was a huge success. Changing her name to Sojourner, she stood up for rights and freedom. This book takes you through the life of a women who never stopped fighting for what they believed in.
Teachers could use this book to:
-Talk about slavery in NY state. Ask children if there was slavery in NY, have them write in down and then have them write another response after learning about Truth.
-Ask student to write down what it must of feel like to be a slave.