What I'm Reading

Over Christmas break, I read Marilla of Green Gables by Sarah McCoy. It's a story of young Marilla Cuthbert, and how she became who she is in Anne of Green Gables. I really enjoyed it; I liked where she went with Marilla's life, and how she brought in other characters from the series.

One part that particularly interested me was a bit about slavery. The story takes place before the American Civil War, and Marilla's aunt (who lives in St Catherines) is involved in hiding and caring for former slaves. Marilla is actually the one who gets her involved once she (Marilla) learns about how the orphanage in Hopetown is hiding runaway slave girls.

My next book then was The Mapmaker's Children (also by Sarah McCoy). In this one, she looks at slavery and the underground railroad more closely. The story is about Sarah Brown, daughter of the abolitionist John Brown (of the raid on Harper's Ferry). It's historical fiction, but moves between the past and a family in the present. I liked it, and I liked learning a bit more about the underground railroad and how messages were passed.

I am interested in learning more about how messages and maps were stitched into quilts and such, but I haven't found any books in the library about that just yet.

I also read Underground to Canada by Barbara Smucker. It's youth fiction, and I read it years ago. I picked up again last week (I have a copy) and enjoyed the story again. It's about two girls who escape from slavery in the deep south and make it to Canada. Again, it's fiction, but it incorporates real people. I'd like to read more about some of them one day (Alexander Ross and Levi Cotton).

I'm making a bit of a switch this week, to World War II. I'm just starting The Baker's Daughter, also by Sarah McCoy.

I also plan to read Amazing Grace by Eric Metaxax, his biography of William Wilberforce (the British abolitionist who fought to end the slave trade and then slavery in the British Empire).

I think this might be a very history-focused year.