In the 1840s, visitors to the Mammoth Cave System in Kentucky were led through the longest cave system in the United States by cave guide Stephen Bishop, who was enslaved. The author helps readers understand the freedom that existed under the ground in comparison to slave rights in the light.

The book Lift Your Light a Little Higher, follows the life of Stephen Bishop who was a slave in the 1800s. His job was to lead people through Mammoth Cave in Kentucky. ( )

This book, subtitled “The Story of Stephen Bishop: Slave-Explorer” has an intriguing beginning that pulls the reader in right away:

“The year is 1840, give or take. The color of my skin is black. The name I’m called is Guide. My home is in Kentucky, fifteenth state of the Union, though I am known beyond this place. I am famous far and wide - across the great ocean itself. Why, even the Queen of England knows who I am, they say.

But being known is not the same as being free, no sir. Famous or not, you will not find my story written down exactly as it happened. Because in 1840 in most states of this young nation, it is against the law to teach me to read and write.”

Don’t you feel drawn in and want to know what his story is?

The author explains in a Note at the end of the book that Stephen Bishop was brought by his master to work as a guide in Mammoth Cave, located in southwestern Kentucky. This cave system, comprised of a complex limestone labyrinth, was actually discovered some 4,000 years ago beneath the Green River Valley of Edmonson County, Kentucky. It is the longest in the world, with more than four hundred miles of mapped underground passageways. It was a busy tourist attraction as early as 1825.

Stephen was the best known of the slave guides between the period of 1838 to 1857. Visitors mentioned his intelligence and knowledge of the caves. He not only mapped the caves, but made important discoveries inside them.

He died at the age of thirty-seven, but there is no record of how or why. There isn’t much known about him at all, except as relayed by tourists at the time. Thus the author has tried to imagine his life and what he would say to readers if he could.

Most poignantly, the author has Stephen declare about the caves:

“Down here, I am Guide - a man able to walk before other men, not behind; a man able to school even the brightest scholar . . . A man, down here, that’s what I am - a man, not just a slave.”

The story is illustrated by watercolors and collage by award-winning artist Bryan Collier. He mentions that he went to the Mammoth Caves to see them for himself, both as an aid to depicting them, and for inspiration in helping to bring Stephen Bishop's story to light.

Evaluation: The author did as much as she could based on scant information to make Stephen Bishop’s role in history known. Part of the lesson she imparts is that there were many people with worthwhile stories whose histories we will never know, because they were silenced by the slave system. ( )

Mammoth cave, KY history, slavery ( )

The story tells of a cave explore who was also a slave the 1800s. The story is told through Stephen's perspective as he talks about his caves, taking visitors through the caves, and talking about life during the 1800s. Most of the colors used in the illustrations are muted, darker tones of the caves. The lighter colors are used for used for the pictures that show scenes outside the caves. The illustrations look the pictures are layered on top of each other which gives the pictures a 3D look to them. The writing is very eloquent in its style. I feel that students would be focused throughout the whole reading since the information presented in the book is not written in a boring informational way. Some noticeable themes of the book are caves, explores and slaves. This book would be good to use during a discussion about slavery in America. It could be used as an example about jobs slaves occupied during that time. It also sheds light on how slaves played major roles in society that were overlooked during that time.