From: Jean Casey <jcasey>
Date: Mon, 21 Jun 1999 08:15:34 -0500

I, too, agree that The Middle Passage is a moving and powerful record of the cruelty of the slave trade. However, I must question the appropriateness of using this wonderful book with 2nd grade children. I think it would be roughly the equivalent of using a Stephen King novel(or the daily news) as a read-aloud for the same group.
 It seems to me that using such violent and graphic works with young children is inappropriate because they haven't got the context to put it in perspective. Vocabulary and sense of history are also missing. I would much rather use something like Nettie's Trip South, or some other books which are available (titles escape me at the moment) to portray the inhumanity and cruelty of the time. No, we should not gloss over this painful part of our history, but we shouldn't brutalize our students or give them nightmares, either. The illustrations in Feelings' book are haunting as I'm sure he intended them to be, but let's use them at an appropriate time and age.
Received on Mon 21 Jun 1999 08:15:34 AM CDT