Below is an excerpt from a review on "Freedom River" by Doreen Rappaport:
"This spirited author searches out the stories from our history that may not have otherwise been told:
"For anyone who was involved in the Civil Rights movement, the anti-war movement or the feminist movement - it doesn't leave your soul. It's embedded in you, " said Doreen.
It's hard to get through reading one of Doreen Rappaport's books without drawing in a deep breath of incredulity, shock or awe. As a writer who has made a career out of shining a light on "extraordinary, ordinary people," Doreen's books bring kids' attention to the not-so-pretty side of life and the turbulent, disturbing times in our history. When we met with Doreen in her New York City apartment this February, we spoke at length about how she initially became drawn to the stories of, as she refers to her subjects, "not-yet-celebrated Americans."
Unknown heroes. In 1965, Doreen traveled to Mississippi to teach music at a freedom school. The Civil Rights movement was in full swing in the South and she encountered many people who would have given anything for the rights that she herself had and took for granted. "These were heroes that nobody had heard about. I couldn't believe their courage," she said. She wanted to celebrate her students' heritage in her music classes and teach them African American spirituals and freedom songs."One of her most notable picture books is the deeply poetic Freedom River (Hyperion, 2000), which brings us the story of John Parker, an ex-slave who bought his freedom and helped to lead slaves from Kentucky across the river to the free state of Ohio. Illustrator Bryan Collier, who employs the use of watercolor and collage in this remarkable book, shows the reflection of the river on each of the slaves' faces."
I believe that this review encompasses the many themes throughout Rappaport's novel "Freedom River."
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