Sarny’s birth mother, by the act of giving birth, had demonstrated her ability to breed and was sold for that purpose at an auction when Sarny was four. There is Sarny, a twelve year old black slave, and Mammy, an old black woman assigned the task of raising Sarny. In those pages, the true stories of four people are shared and as their lives intertwine, the reader will find himself invested in their pain, their joy, and their tenuous grasp on a better future. It was published in 1993 and consists of only 92 pages.

This is a story about slavery, a story about the grueling hour by hour existence of human beings when they are subjected to the will of fellow human beings. I knew that Gary Paulsen was an award winning author of books for young adults, but I never read one as a young adult or gave any thought to him when I became an older adult. We don’t have a very large juvenile/young adult collection and I never spend any time there if I don’t have a reason. I have no idea what made me take it from the shelf maybe it was curiosity about the title.

I happened upon it while searching the young adult section of the library one day attempting to help a student find a different book. It isn’t current – it is timeless and it is true and it hurts to read it. You won’t find this book on the current bestseller list, or any current list for that matter. Reviewed by Miriam Stone, Learning Resource and Access Specialist

Nightjohn by gary paulsen