Freedom's a-Callin Me

This is a collection of poems written from multiple perspectives, including runaway enslaved people, those who helped them, and the natural elements of the landscape. It traces the movement from the South to the North, focusing on the sensory and emotional reality of the journey. SENSITIVE TOPICS: The book deals directly with the systemic trauma of slavery, though it avoids graphic physical violence in favor of emotional and psychological depth. It is secular but infused with a spiritual reverence for nature and freedom. The resolution is historically realistic, balancing the triumph of escape with the heavy cost of leaving everything behind. EMOTIONAL ARC: The collection starts with the heavy tension of life in bondage, builds through the high-stakes fear and adrenaline of the escape, and concludes with a soaring, hopeful sense of liberation and self-reclamation. IDEAL READER: A 10-year-old who has learned the basic timeline of the Civil War but is now asking deeper questions about how people felt and what they thought about during their escape. It is for the empathetic reader who connects with history through personal stories. PARENT TRIGGER: A child might ask, "Why didn't everyone just run away?" or express sadness about characters leaving their families behind. PARENT PREP: Parents should be prepared to discuss the historical context of the Fugitive Slave Act to explain why the journey didn't end as soon as a character reached a free state. The poem "The Drinking Gourd" is a great starting point for context. AGE EXPERIENCE: Younger readers will focus on the "adventure" and the danger of the nighttime journey; older readers will pick up on the nuanced metaphors about identity and the psychological toll of being treated as property. DIFFERENTIATOR: Shange's background as a playwright shines here: each poem feels like a dramatic monologue, giving a distinct, breathing voice to the past in a way that dry textbooks cannot.