Reed, Stephanie. Across the wide river

Kliatt, March, 2005 by Hinton KaaVonia

REED, Stephanie. Across the wide river. Kregel. 176p. c2004.0-8254-3576-5. $7.99. J

Based on a real family that once lived in historic Ripley, Ohio, this book follows the life of Lowry Rankin, the first child of a large family devoted to the abolitionist cause. In an effort to distance themselves from slavery in Tennessee, Lowry's parents headed for Ohio but settled in Kentucky for a number of years. When the novel begins, Lowry's innocence is fractured when he watches his friend, who is described as a happy slave, brutally beaten after attending Bible school. Soon after, the family moves to Ohio. This incident stays with Lowry until he meets the slave again and helps him board the Underground Railroad. At school, Lowry is teased because of his Kentucky accent. While the teasing leads to a fight that allows Lowry to meet his future love interest, it also distorts his self-image. Throughout the novel, he lacks confidence and is convinced he is incapable of becoming an abolitionist minister.

Though the book is interesting, it might have been a more exciting read had the author focused more on the challenges and risks that must have plagued a family so dedicated to the abolitionist cause. For example, each of the children was told at an early age about what Reed dubs "the family business." This must have presented some problems. How did they manage to keep their participation in the Underground Railroad a secret? The tension that Reed does portray quite well, however, comes in two forms: through Lowry's reluctance to doing abolitionist work and through the conflict between slave owners in Kentucky and abolitionists in Ohio. The local and national historical references mentioned throughout the novel make this book a great supplementary text for social studies classes. KaaVonia Hinton, Old Dominian Univ., VA

J--Recommended for junior high school students. The contents are of particular interest to young adolescent and their teachers.