Nearer My Freedom - by Monica Edinger & Lesley Younge (Paperback)

About the Book

"Using Olaudah Equiano's autobiography as the source, the text shares Equiano's life story in found verse. Readers will follow his story from his childhood in Africa, enslavement at a young age, liberation, and life as a free man"--

Book Synopsis

"Permit me to lay at your feet

the following genuine

Narrative . . ."

Olaudah Equiano was a writer and abolitionist whose autobiography, The Interesting Life of Olaudah Equiano, captured the attention of British readers at the height of the transatlantic slave trade. The account of his childhood in the African kingdom of Benin, the details of his kidnapping and enslavement as a young boy, and the chronicles of his life as a sailor were influential in ending the British slave trade and continue to inspire the work of academics, activists, and artists over two hundred years later.

Nearer My Freedom retells Equiano's remarkable life story in found verse, shaping his own words into impassioned, striking poetry, allowing readers to discover it anew. Supplemented with detailed and illuminating annotations, authors Monica Edinger and Lesley Younge offer a new means to engage with one of the most famous texts of the abolition movement.

Review Quotes

"This combination of "found poetry" from Equiano's autobiography and other writings and non-fiction essay reveals the depth of feeling held in Equiano's heart as he suffered through kidnapping, transportation across the ocean to strange countries, and a desperate search to understand his place in a new and strange world. Reviewer Rating: 5"--Children's Literature

-- (1/5/2024 12:00:00 AM)

"This flawless and well-composed performance is an invaluable addition to youth collections, giving listeners the important story of a truly remarkable man."--starred, Booklist, audio book published by Listening Library

-- (10/1/2023 12:00:00 AM)

"[T]he story makes for compelling reading that moves quickly. . . . This important and unique work introduces this pivotal man to a new audience and will make for interesting classroom discussions."--starred, School Library Journal

-- (4/1/2023 12:00:00 AM)

"Highly readable as well as informative. An excellent way to understand a remarkable individual and his times."--starred, Kirkus Reviews

-- (12/15/2022 12:00:00 AM)

"In this unique work of nonfiction, Edinger and Younge transform the words of Olaudah Equiano's 1789 autobiographical slavery narrative into found-verse poetry. . . . [An] absorbing, singular creation."--starred, Booklist

-- (2/1/2023 12:00:00 AM)

"Monica Edinger and Lesley Younge--former fourth grade co-teachers--brilliantly transform the autobiography into 'found poems' by cutting and rearranging Equiano's original into verse . . . Their deft transformation of Equiano's odyssey is well-equipped to inspire and empower new generations."--starred, Shelf Awareness

-- (3/9/2023 12:00:00 AM)

"Without losing the source text's emotional heft, Edinger and Younge's visceral poems respectfully provide an effective entry point into the seminal work."--starred, Publishers Weekly

-- (1/30/2023 12:00:00 AM)

"This moving found-verse adaptation of the formerly enslaved Equiano's 1789 memoir makes a seminal work of history accessible to young readers."--New York Times Book Review

-- (3/1/2023 12:00:00 AM)