One Voice: The Story of William Wilberforce

by Amy Lykosh

The life of William Wilberforce, told in verse.

Genres: Biography, History, School, Childrens

282 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2018

Reviews

[Stephanie Erwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't recommend this enough. I thought the poetry device would make it difficult to read, but it was perfect. I cried. Great for kids and adults alike.

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

We had a really hard time with the format of this book and I had another book about William Wilberforce on hand so we didn't finish it. We really enjoy his story, this book just wasn't for us.

[Mollyanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t believe how little I knew about the British slave trade and abolition until now. This book made for a moving comparison of how abolition came about in Britain vs the US. The format was a little tough for my 9-year-old, but it was worth it for this thoughtful way to consider what could have been if America had gone about change in a different way.

[Benjamin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful biography of William Wilberforce, written in poetic structure. Just excellent stuff here.

From his epitaph:
“Here to repose: till, through the merits of Jesus Christ, his only redeemer and saviour, (whom in his life and in his writings he had desired to glorify,) he shall rise in the resurrection of the just.”

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a surprising book! A remarkable man’s life distilled into verse has a powerful effect. This short read gets to the heart of these events and this amazing man.

[Devon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second time I read this book for our homeschool curriculum. While I like the story and the historical references, I did not like the format. It is in poetry format. It makes for short pages, but can be hard for kids to follow. I think I would rather read an actual story.

[Ashley Coberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this to my kids as part of our history curriculum. I had never heard of William Wilberforce and was really taken with his story and his desire and perseverance to let God use him, even when it took his entire career.

[J.L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Homeschool read for my 5th and 3rd grade boys.

I was very surprised by this book. It's told in relatively simple free verse, a very quick read. But by the time Wilberforce had been trying for something like 2 decades to end the slave trade and slavery itself, just seeing these simple words on the page, after 230 pages of dogged perseverence in the face of struggle and defeat:

"Slave Trade Act: House of Lords"

February 5 1807
Passed
100-36

Slave Trade Act: House of Commons

February 23, 1807
Passed
283-16

I cried. I was so moved.

I loved this. I'm so glad it was in the curriculum for my kids!

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this with my 8 and 10 year old children as part of our American history homeschool package. I was worried about the format and having to read it out loud, but once we got started I realized it was helping me to break up and emphasize the important things that were being said. Amy Lykosh did a wonderful job collecting and assembling bits and pieces to make a cohesive and emotionally involved picture of Wilberforce's fight against the slave trade and ultimately against slavery itself.

My 8 year old daughter says, "Best history in the world!"

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a read-aloud, the dates and details made it a bit hard for my kids to follow (I interjected my own explanations for context like “at this point he had been working 20 years!”), but overall I found this a surprisingly moving story of how one man’s perseverance and faith could bring about profound change. I also found it quite timely in light of current events. A wonderful book both for youngsters as well as to promote thinking in adults.

[Janell Schaak · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciate the simplicity with which the information was presented, especially for younger children. However, I found the format to be hard to read aloud to my child and it got frustrating to have to constantly tell the title of the letter, who wrote it, etc. It presented the information in a way that was relatable though, and my daughter enjoyed hearing about the journey that William Wilberforce took and his perseverance to his cause.

[Michaela Wilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book for school, and I enjoyed learning more about William Wilberforce. I now know a lot more about him. The way this book was written was very interesting to me, and I liked it. I understand more about British parliament, the early life of William (he lived next to John Newton!), as well as his struggle to abolish slavery in Great Britain.

[Renee Haug · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this with my daughter as part of her 4th grade curriculum. It is such a unique biography--written in poetry. I thoroughly enjoyed it and learned a lot about Wilberforce's life and his amazing legacy.

[Mona Hendrix · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book with my son as part of his history curriculum. It was a collection of Journal entries, letters and poems. I was surprised how much I was able to learn from those little Snippets and how moving they could be.

[Chandra Sorrells · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed reading this book with my children. Both a Methodist and a statesman, Wilberforce gives us much to aspire to.

[Brandi · Rating 3 out of 5]

The content was good. I just didn’t find it easy to read aloud to my children due to the way it was written.

[Caristy Olson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of William Wilberforce made me tear up and cry as my heart grieved for the endless motions to bring justice to the world. If no one speaks up for justice how will we bring about change?

[Kyle McC · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for young readers! Easily readable in letter format.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

S1V1L1

[Mandee Karp · Rating 5 out of 5]

A history book in poetry form! We blew through this in like 2 days because it was so much fun to read! My daughter enjoyed the format and she had emotions over what was happening... Recommended!

[HisPresence MyHome · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this to my daughter for her history. We both loved it. It's a fantastic collection of poems written in first person as a biography of William Wilberforce. It was excellent and so creative!

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

What. A. Life.
What a story.
I loved this book and the way it was written.

[Noelani · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for Modern American History studies as a comparative analysis between British and U.S. abolition of slavery.

[Jamey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very moving account of William Wilberforce’s fight against slavery in Great Britain. The entire history is written in a poetic style. This makes it easier to read, and adds a unique interest to the story.

[A.S. Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is fascinating and important. The mode in which it was written was very hard to read as a read aloud to my children, as suggested by our homeschool curriculum. Story and history: 5 stars. My kids give the actual book 3 stars. So we will compromise on 4.

[Maxden Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very easy to read, only 282 pages and every page is a poem. I've read this multiple times, I wish the author would write biographies about other important people and events in history!