Title: Prudence Crandall
Author: Elizabeth Yates
Major Themes: Abolition, Civil Rights, Connecticut, School, Quakers, Prudence Crandall
Synopsis: When Prudence Crandall opened a school for girls of color in 1833, she little knew the magnitude of the battle she would have to fight.
A couple of weeks ago, just before the end of a month, I suddenly realized that the book I had planned to read that month for a particular reading challenge was not going to work. It was taking me too long to read it, and was not one I could race through, because I needed to go slowly and understand it. I had made a list at the beginning of the month of books that would work for the prompt, so I chose a different one that would be easy to get through. The advantage of switching was that I got to read a book I’ve been wanting to for several years! Elizabeth Yates made it to my list of favorite authors many years ago when I found several of her books in a local library in Michigan, and I was not disappointed with Prudence Crandall.
Prudence and her sister Amelia ran a small boarding/day school for girls in Connecticut. In 1833, she opened her school to “young ladies and little misses of color.” This grossly offended the people of her town, and immediately Prudence and the whole school found themselves the recipients of one attack after another. Could they hold out against the rotten eggs and dead cats and piles of manure that were thrown their way?
As Prudence held her ground, the opposition escalated. She was accused of going against the Constitution and the law of God. What should she do? How long could she hold out? Meanwhile, a totally unexpected new friendship came into her life. What was God doing for and through her?
I loved the way Elizabeth Yates told this true story. Because Prudence Crandall is nonfiction, I had no idea how it would turn out. At the same time, it was written as a novel. I found this story deeply moving and unforgettable. Though I had never heard of this brave woman before, she has become a real person to me.
WARNING: See paragraph two of the review.
Age levels:
Listening Level—Ages 8 – 12, 10 – 12, 12 – 15, Family Friendly
Reading Independently—Ages 10 – 12, 12 – 15
Links to buy this book:
Amazon: Paperback | Kindle | Hardcover
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com
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