1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Jurmain, Suzanne. 2005. THE FORBIDDEN SCHOOLHOUSE: THE TRUE AND DRAMATIC STORY OF PRUDENCE CRANDALL AND HER STUDENTS. New York: Houghton Mifflin . ISBN 0618473025
2. PLOT SUMMARY
In October of 1831, Prudence Crandall, at the age of 28, opened The Canterbury Female Boarding School in the town of Canterbury, Connecticut. Then in January 1933, Prudence accepted Sarah Harris as a student in her school, and suddenly everyone began to talk. Sarah was black, and while Prudence knew that accepting a black student into her school might create problems in the town, she was unable to face Sarah with a disappointing answer. As expected, the town reacted. As Daniel Frost, a prominent lawyer, explained to Prudence, the men who had come to protest her school were not against educating black people; they just didn’t want to educate them in their hometown. Prudence, although not an abolitionist, believed people of color deserved an education just as much as whites, and she made the decision to not only accept Sarah, but to convert her school to a school which would educate young middle-class black women. Over the next eighteen months, Prudence, her staff, and her students endured threats, jeers, arrests, fines, boycotts, and fires aimed at getting the school to close. Yet Prudence was determined to provide an education to the girls she’d grown to love.
Suggested for ages 10 and up, the story takes the reader on the journey with a young woman determined to do what she believed was right even when she could find very few supporters. Her determination and resolve are an inspiration to readers even now, 175 years later.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Jurmain’s account of Prudence Crandall’s experiences is told in a narrative format that is gripping and builds suspense as readers wait to find out what will happen while keeping their fingers crossed that truth and justice will win out. One can’t help but cringe when the girls are called horrible names, are pelted with rotten eggs, and are even threatened with being whipped by the town leaders if they don’t go home. In this pre-Civil War era, many readers may be surprised to find that even states that were anti-slavery weren’t exactly supportive of blacks, and prejudice and discrimination reigned. The text will keep readers engaged to the very end and includes enough historical background to put the conflict between Prudence and her community in context. Details such as the fact that women could not vote and were not allowed to speak out in public meetings helps modern readers understand the difficulty Prudence had fighting this battle. An explanation of the bloody Nat Turner rebellion helps make more clear why white people would have been hesitant to assist black people. A final chapter and epilogue give a brief summation of Prudence’s life after the school closed.
What makes this book particularly exceptional are the reference aids and access features. The author provides A Note to the Reader which explains the use of offensive words such as “colored” and “nigger” and why they are used in certain places. Photographs of Crandall’s house, now a museum, are included along with portraits of Crandall and other principal players in this story. Prints of advertisements, newspaper articles, and art provide visual context throughout the chapters. Kids will particularly enjoy reading about what happened to the students, teachers, friends, and enemies of the school in the Appendix. The Notes section provides detailed information, chapter by chapter, as to how the author recreated Crandall’s words, conversations, and letters. A Bibliography, an Index, and a Photo Credits section round out the reference aids.
Although Prudence Crandall is an obscure historical figure, her story will provide inspiration to many who read this informational book.
4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
*Booklist, starred review: “Jurmain has plucked an almost forgotten incident from history and has shaped a compelling, highly readable book around it.”
*Horn Book: “Crandall's obscurity may limit the appeal of this book, though readers looking for the individual who bravely fights for the rights of others will be inspired by her dedication, strength, and moral compass.”
*Kirkus: “Jurmain adopts a storyteller's voice to tell the tale, lacing it with excerpts from primary sources, but always locating readers in the emotional heart of the conflict.”
5. CONNECTIONS
*Some of the bibliographic entries include web sites. Students may continue their reading on related topics by looking up some of the sites.
*Social Studies teachers can use this book as supplemental reading when looking at American history leading up to the Civil War and emancipation of the slaves.
*Students may research education today – how are opportunities for blacks different? Are there ways in which they are the same? Has desegregation worked?
*Older students (high school) might want to compare the issue of the rights of blacks in the 1800s with modern day issues such as immigration and illegal residents.
Jurmain, Suzanne. 2005. THE FORBIDDEN SCHOOLHOUSE: THE TRUE AND DRAMATIC STORY OF PRUDENCE CRANDALL AND HER STUDENTS. New York: Houghton Mifflin . ISBN 0618473025
2. PLOT SUMMARY
In October of 1831, Prudence Crandall, at the age of 28, opened The Canterbury Female Boarding School in the town of Canterbury, Connecticut. Then in January 1933, Prudence accepted Sarah Harris as a student in her school, and suddenly everyone began to talk. Sarah was black, and while Prudence knew that accepting a black student into her school might create problems in the town, she was unable to face Sarah with a disappointing answer. As expected, the town reacted. As Daniel Frost, a prominent lawyer, explained to Prudence, the men who had come to protest her school were not against educating black people; they just didn’t want to educate them in their hometown. Prudence, although not an abolitionist, believed people of color deserved an education just as much as whites, and she made the decision to not only accept Sarah, but to convert her school to a school which would educate young middle-class black women. Over the next eighteen months, Prudence, her staff, and her students endured threats, jeers, arrests, fines, boycotts, and fires aimed at getting the school to close. Yet Prudence was determined to provide an education to the girls she’d grown to love.
Suggested for ages 10 and up, the story takes the reader on the journey with a young woman determined to do what she believed was right even when she could find very few supporters. Her determination and resolve are an inspiration to readers even now, 175 years later.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Jurmain’s account of Prudence Crandall’s experiences is told in a narrative format that is gripping and builds suspense as readers wait to find out what will happen while keeping their fingers crossed that truth and justice will win out. One can’t help but cringe when the girls are called horrible names, are pelted with rotten eggs, and are even threatened with being whipped by the town leaders if they don’t go home. In this pre-Civil War era, many readers may be surprised to find that even states that were anti-slavery weren’t exactly supportive of blacks, and prejudice and discrimination reigned. The text will keep readers engaged to the very end and includes enough historical background to put the conflict between Prudence and her community in context. Details such as the fact that women could not vote and were not allowed to speak out in public meetings helps modern readers understand the difficulty Prudence had fighting this battle. An explanation of the bloody Nat Turner rebellion helps make more clear why white people would have been hesitant to assist black people. A final chapter and epilogue give a brief summation of Prudence’s life after the school closed.
What makes this book particularly exceptional are the reference aids and access features. The author provides A Note to the Reader which explains the use of offensive words such as “colored” and “nigger” and why they are used in certain places. Photographs of Crandall’s house, now a museum, are included along with portraits of Crandall and other principal players in this story. Prints of advertisements, newspaper articles, and art provide visual context throughout the chapters. Kids will particularly enjoy reading about what happened to the students, teachers, friends, and enemies of the school in the Appendix. The Notes section provides detailed information, chapter by chapter, as to how the author recreated Crandall’s words, conversations, and letters. A Bibliography, an Index, and a Photo Credits section round out the reference aids.
Although Prudence Crandall is an obscure historical figure, her story will provide inspiration to many who read this informational book.
4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
*Booklist, starred review: “Jurmain has plucked an almost forgotten incident from history and has shaped a compelling, highly readable book around it.”
*Horn Book: “Crandall's obscurity may limit the appeal of this book, though readers looking for the individual who bravely fights for the rights of others will be inspired by her dedication, strength, and moral compass.”
*Kirkus: “Jurmain adopts a storyteller's voice to tell the tale, lacing it with excerpts from primary sources, but always locating readers in the emotional heart of the conflict.”
5. CONNECTIONS
*Some of the bibliographic entries include web sites. Students may continue their reading on related topics by looking up some of the sites.
*Social Studies teachers can use this book as supplemental reading when looking at American history leading up to the Civil War and emancipation of the slaves.
*Students may research education today – how are opportunities for blacks different? Are there ways in which they are the same? Has desegregation worked?
*Older students (high school) might want to compare the issue of the rights of blacks in the 1800s with modern day issues such as immigration and illegal residents.
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