I. Identification of Work
The book, “Harriet Tubman: The Road to Freedom” was written by Catherine Clinton. Catherine Clinton is the Professor of American History at University of Texas San Antonio. She is extremely qualified due to her intensive work dealing with this time period of American History. She studied sociology and American History at Harvard and then received her Ph.D. at Princeton University. She has written numerous books about American History, and more specifically, slavery and black history in the United States. Due to these reasons, she is highly qualified to write such a book.
II. Summary of the Main Ideas
The nonfiction book, “Harriet Tubman: The Road to Freedom” written by Catherine Clinton is a captivating restoration
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This led to a greater understanding of Tubman’s actions and lifestyle. By showing her hardships as a child and teenager, a reader develops a connection and a feeling of empathy for Truman. This organization makes the story seem more adventurous than most biographies. These biographies simply state cold, bare facts, while Clinton’s portrayal allows a reader to live the story of Tubman’s life with her. For example, when Clinton states, "Slave parents lived in abject terror of separation from their children. This fear, perhaps more than any other aspect of the institution, revealed the deeply dehumanizing horror of slavery." (p. 10). This line from the past presents empathy and an understanding of why Tubman would risk her life so many times to save hundreds of slaves. It also gives background information on slavery that is vital to the understanding of the horrors of slavery. On the downside, this organizational style allows for numerous amounts of unnecessary details to be included in the biography. While these details were interesting they were not prudent for the understanding of the plot. Clinton’s organizational style increased one’s understandings of Tubman’s actions, which led to an interesting and unique portrayal of a historical nonfiction