Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

Harriet Tubman was born into slavery on a Maryland plantation around the
year 1820. As a child, she was so brutalized by white people that she
was left medically debilitated for life. Rather than let herself be sold
to an even harsher owner, Tubman risked mutilation and death by escaping
north to St. Catharines, Ontario, where she became active in the
Underground Railroad. Over the course of two decades, she made 19 trips
back into the United States to rescue more than 300 people from slavery.
She served as a nurse during the American Civil War and even organized a
successful military raid. She was active in many social justice
movements until her death in 1913.

This chronicle of Tubman’s remarkable life is well supported with
photographs and copies of historic documents. Although Sadlier generally
writes well, her book shows little evidence of having been vetted by a
good editor; for example, whole sections of text are repeated. The index
could have been more extensive, and the absence of footnotes is
annoying. Despite its flaws, this is a fine book that deserves serious
attention. Recommended.