Sarny: A life Remembered

Sarny #2

by Gary Paulsen, Jerry Pinkney (Illustrator)

So many readers have written and What happened to Sarny, the young slave girl who learned to read in Nightjohn? Extraordinary things happened to her, from the moment she fled the plantation in the last days of the Civil War, suddenly a free woman in search of her sold-away children, until she found them and began a new life. Sarny's story gives a panoramic view of America in a time of trial, tragedy, and hoped-for change, until her last days in the 1930s.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Fiction, Civil War, School, African American, Historical

192 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Gary James Paulsen was an American writer of children's and young adult fiction, best known for coming-of-age stories about the wilderness. He was the author of more than 200 books and wrote more than 200 magazine articles and short stories, and several plays, all primarily for teenagers. He won the Margaret Edwards Award from the American Library Association in 1997 for his lifetime contribution in writing for teens.

Reviews

[Josiah · Rating 3 out of 5]

If Nightjohn had all the dry makings of literary excellence but was too sparse to fulfill its potential, Sarny: A Life Remembered rectifies that by putting more meat on the story's bones. The book begins in 1930 with Sarny now at age ninety-four, in a home for old folks outside of Dallas, Texas, reflecting on the long, rich life she couldn't have imagined would be hers back in those early days as a slave on Clel Waller's Southern plantation. Sarny learned to read and write from John, a fellow slave, and now she's composing her memoirs for the enlightenment of future generations. She's tired after a century of euphoric ups and devastating downs, but Sarny isn't ready just yet to join her friends and family in the afterlife. She has a bit more to do before God beckons her into his eternal embrace.

Life on the Waller plantation didn't ease up any after John's departure. Waller tries to force Sarny to breed, but she refuses to be intimate with a man unless she's in love and married to him, and Waller's male slaves cooperate by pretending they've mated with her. By the time Sarny meets Martin, she's a young woman who views the strong, courageous slave with fresh eyes. She happily marries him and bears a daughter, Delie—named for Sarny's beloved mammy from Nightjohn—and a son, Tyler, but Martin lasts only a few years before Waller works him to death. As the Civil War commences, Waller takes to drinking and gambling, squandering enough of his fortune that he has to sell assets. One calamitous day Sarny watches him gather Delie and Tyler to be sold without their mother. Sarny wants to murder Waller on the spot, but she has to wait until Union soldiers break the Confederate resistance and stream down into Southern land, dispatching Waller like the old annoyance he is and liberating his slaves. Sarny inquires after her children and receives reliable indicators that they were sold down to New Orleans, Louisiana. Accompanied by Lucy, a slave in her late teens who loves Sarny and wouldn't think of leaving her, our protagonist starts on a walk of more than three hundred miles, with only vague hope of being reunited with Delie and Tyler.

The South is a war zone, and not everyone they meet is sympathetic to the emancipation of black slaves. Sarny and Lucy witness skirmishes between soldiers in blue and ones in gray, as heavy artillery and swords of steel release geysers of blood on the battlefields. Many soldiers are just teenagers, frightened of what awaits after death. Trying to walk more than thirty miles a day is exhausting, but Sarny is desperate to catch up to her children. She has to be careful, though; there's no telling what some men would do to her or a pretty girl like Lucy without any lawmen in sight to ensure they don't. Sarny has seen torment in her quarter century of life, but she catches a break en route to the Crescent City. A wealthy Southern lady named Miss Laura passes them in her wagon, and offers Sarny and Lucy employment for an impressive monthly sum. Miss Laura is headed home to New Orleans, and she promises to help Sarny track down her children if she signs on to work for her, not as a slave but as a consensual employee. This looks like the beginning of something good.

Signs of war are dissipating in New Orleans, and Miss Laura settles in at her mansion with Sarny and Lucy as her new domestic help. Miss Laura sends word through her contacts in the city that Sarny is looking for her kids, but it's a twist of pure happenstance that returns to Sarny what is rightfully hers, at the first of many elaborate parties Miss Laura hosts at the mansion. The Southern belle has satisfied the most intense longing of Sarny's heart within a matter of days; it's almost too sweet to believe that Sarny's haphazard journey to New Orleans ended this way. She has children to raise and a well-paying job in service to a woman who always opposed slavery. Miss Laura's profession may have morally dubious aspects, but Sarny is content to mind her own business. She ignores all warnings and sets up a school for blacks, children and adults alike, continuing John's legacy by teaching them to read. Miss Laura funds Sarny's entire project. Some white folks stand against Sarny's efforts to educate black citizens, but Miss Laura rebuilds the school time after time when Ku Klux Klan terrorists torch it. Even as Delie and Tyler grow into capable adults, Sarny finds her life purpose spreading a love of learning among the black population, starting in New Orleans and expanding across the country. Though tragedy isn't completely relegated to her past, Sarny derives joy from showing black men and women in America that they need not bow the knee to the benevolent bigotry of white overlords. Blacks can create any life they choose, and it starts with the written word.

"We each live in our own time...And we must do the best we can with our time. Those who came before weren't as lucky as us and we aren't as lucky as some who may come later. We must still live in our own time and do the best we can."

—Miss Laura, Sarny, P. 92

Slavery around the globe is a blight on human history. In the United States, the torture that some owners inflicted on their slaves is grotesque, but even "kind" owners were committing atrocity. The men, women, and kids imported from Africa as chattel had natural gifts to offer the world in every profession, but were prevented from doing so by having their labor stolen. They couldn't define and develop their talents because slave owners wouldn't let them. How much productivity was lost to America because this large portion of the populace was forbidden to put their skills on the open market for everyone's benefit? We'll never know what might have been, but Sarny's life demonstrates what could arise from a legitimate job offered to a pair of young ladies after years of slavery: Sarny and Lucy become wealthy through hard, honest work, as prosperous as anyone in the post-war South.

Though Sarny has reason to reflexively distrust and even hate all whites, she refuses to fall into the bitterness trap. On the road to New Orleans, still not sure if Delie and Tyler are alive, Sarny and Lucy watch a clash between Union and Confederate soldiers. Sarny recognizes the significance of blue versus gray uniforms, but Lucy hardly pays attention to that. "They're all white, ain't they? I hope they all kill each other. Wouldn't bother me if every damn one of them died." Lucy's feeling is understandable, but Sarny won't lump all the men together. "They're all white but all whites ain't bad...Half of them are fighting to keep you in slavery but the other half are dressed in blue. Fighting to make you free. Fighting and dying and for you..." We make a critical error when we categorize people by skin color, assuming their values and history based on immutable characteristics rather than the color of the ideological garments they don. Blue versus gray in the Civil War was freedom versus tyranny, the battle for individuals to map their own destiny regardless of skin color and not be controlled by people who presumed the right to run their lives. By recognizing the true dividing point between good and evil, Sarny ensured she would never get the two mixed up over the course of her long life.

Gary Paulsen has written some outstanding historical fiction, The Rifle and Woods Runner being among his best. Sarny isn't a mind-blowing multigenerational saga like The Rifle, or as suspenseful as Woods Runner, but it's a platform for deep thought for any reader willing to reflect on the story. At times Sarny enjoys good fortune to an extent that teeters on unbelievable, but that tipping point is never crossed, and after a lifetime of cruel deprivation Sarny is entitled to some luck. She leverages her unassailable work ethic to get the most out of every opportunity, and that's the difference between Sarny and others who may have failed in her situation. This novel is vintage Gary Paulsen, a work of art that every kid of a certain age and above would benefit from. I know it had a positive impact on me.

[Kaye · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was happy to read the further adventures of Sarny, whose story began in Little John. Good things should come to good people. Sadly, bad things come to them as well.

[Jacob · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book starts out as the main character explaining her life. Along the way she has two kids that she names, Tyler and Delie. Then one day they get taken because of a bad bet at a poker game. The man that won the poker game, came one day with a wagon and picked up the two children. That’s where the story begins to get interesting.


If Sarny, the main character, wasn’t herself, or had different ideas on what there is in life to look forward to, I think that there wouldn’t be a book. Sarny really can teach readers a lot about the good things in life and to stand up for what is right, instead of going with the crowd. If Sarny didn’t meet up with Laura, who is a rich women from down in New Orleans, she probably wouldn’t have found her children as fast as she did. Sarny may have never found them.


The book takes place in the south, which is more believable than the north because there isn’t nearly as much slavery as there is in the south in this time period. The setting really plays a large part in making the book more believable.


I think that "Sarny" is a good book for anyone who likes to read about history, but in a fictional way. In the book they incorporate a little bit of history along with alot of different ideas and thoughts from the time period of the civil war. It is a very well thought out book with a great theme of, never give up, embedded into it.

[Rei · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sarny, a slave goes to find her children who sold only a week before. Her owner gets killed so she ends up being free. I really enjoyed reading a historical fiction book because I hardly read historical fiction books so it was nice thing to try out. The theme in this book was slavery and it was sad to be reading these books because slavery did happen many many many years ago. One of the characters that stood out to me when I was reading this book was definitely the main character, Sarny. The reason for that is that I thought Sarny had lots of courage to find her children. She was very brave, it was the time when slavery was happening which made it more difficult for Sarny to find her children. I can’t even imagine if I was put in Sarny’s position because it’s just too hard and you need to be strong in the mind to get through many obstacles. This is the second book of Nightjohn which I hope to read sometime in the future. I recommend this book to anybody who wants to take a break from reading the books they always read and read this book.

[Monique · Rating 4 out of 5]

So started on Part Two of the Nightjohn/Sarny saga and this one starts with a ninety-something year old Sarny in 1930 as she sits back and remembers her life from her first husband, her children.it is her grandson that encourages her to record her memories--

“It was him to tell me to write some of this down. “Write it down,” he said. “Much as you can know. Someday people will want to read it, read it all.” Sounded like Nightjohn, all over again, and so I do.” (Pg. 4)

Sarny begins by recounting first her time on the plantation where the influence of Nightjohn teaching reading at night begins to incite a hunger for knowledge in all the slaves--

“The men with whips and dogs they tried to stop it because they knew, they knew what it meant. Meant we were learning, coming to know how it was other places, other times. Places and times where there weren’t slaves where one didn’t own another, couldn’t own another by law. And then, some who read and some who didn’t, but just listened to the ones who read, some started to run. Run north…… Running was the same as reading. They’d run and get caught, get whipped, get cut, get hung sometimes, get killed sometimes. But they kept running, trying it, because they knew from reading could they stay with it, follow the drinking gourd, the Big Dipper, and get north, get away, they could be free. Free to read what they wanted to read, know what they wanted to know, free to be more.” (Pg. 10)

Loved that page so much--it really resonated for me if not for all readers how important reading is and how it can truly free you..Ah okay off my librarian soapbox and back to story LOL..
So Sarny talks of how growing up she too harbored feelings of running away except getting older she developed a crush on her childhood friend who would become her first husband-Martin..because they married she couldn’t run. Sarny and Martin then had two children-Tyler and Delie...Sadly Martin is worked to death with his family and after losing him and her oldest friend-the woman who raised her she has to deal with yet another tragedy as bad gambling and being irresponsible leads their “owner” Waller to sell both of Sarny’s children off with Sarny having to reach inside to find the resolve to keep living to run and find them one day as her only saving grace. Fortune looks down on her as the Civil War happens and when soldiers finally descend on the Waller plantation and after a confrontation shoot her “owner” she takes the opportunity to run..go looking for her children.
She come up to the last known plantation owner who has her children and then with her reading skills discovers the grisly truth of slavery and slave owners-----
“Lives. These were lives. All the people we knew and didn’t know. Whole lives. All bought and sold for money, for work, to work to death.” (Pg. 39)
It is sobering to think of men/boys being sold for as low as fifty dollars and only having a name given to them by their “masters” to hold an account of their life and worth...we are our ancestor’s wildest dreams--that we can live freely and read and do all they could not on this soil so far from our homeland….chills…
Alright so Sarny find out her children have been sold for three hundred dollars to a slaveowner in New Orleans Louisiana and on their way there they encounter a straggling battle leftover from the war--

“They’re all white. I hope they all kill each other. Wouldn’t bother me if every damn one of them died.” “They’re all white but all whites ain’t bad. Half of them are fighting to keep you in slavery but the other half are dressed in blue. Fighting to make you free. Fighting and dying and for you…” (Pg. 46)

Sarny and her companion Lucy continue on though New Orleans is over ten days away walking and they come upon a beautiful plantation big house with both the master and mistress murdered. As they marvel at the wealth that slavery helped them live in they come upon a little white boy too traumatized to speak and Sarny decides he must come with them...
This unlikely trio comes upon another anomaly--a rich colored woman who is light enough to pass for white and offers them not only a place to stay but a way to New Orleans and a way to the man who holds Sarny’s children….Miss Laura is a godsend to Sarny and Lucy and Sarny ends up getting her children back and remarrying to a good man named Stanley..Times are looking good for Sarny as she is even getting paid for her work--she is still reading and her husband encourages her to teach reading to the negro children of the community...She starts a school and for a while things go well until the jealousy and resentment festers and the school is burned down several times..but they can’t do anything to fight back...

“Even when they deserved it hitting a white man was dangerous because it scared other white people who thought on how bad they’d been to black people in the past and were worried on the black people getting it back...My dear Sarny, there are very few things more dangerous than a scared person, because they have all the guns.” (Pg. 154)

Her second husband Stanley did try to fight back and tragically didn’t survive his run-in with angry white men avenging what ever injustice they felt occurred to another white man..The fate of Sarny, Lucy, Sarny’s children: Tyler and Delie, Miss Laura and even Sarny herself are all resolved in this book that was educational, inspirational and unexpected in its power--reading and learning to read shaped and changed her entire life and it was awesome to read about..!

[Cj · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a contiuned series to Night John, and it's about Sarny's adventure journey to New Orleans in the search for her two children; Deili and Tyler. As both Sarny and Lucy (young girl who she be-friended) travel the 500 or so miles South they find many injuried soldiers; yet, the sights and feelings soon come to their thoughts about white people, Sarny discovers new ways. I really enjoyed this book, I decided to get it because I could not ease my curiousity to the ending of Night John and I needed to know more about Sarny.

I think this book is a great book for muliculture because it mentions the different ways of how the South grew up and how other relgions differ from my own relgion. Very interesting and exciting book for children.

[Thomas Maluck · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was so on board with the first half of this story. I was excited to follow two freed slaves as one of them searches for her still-sold children. Paulsen is great at writing the stories of hardened survivors, and the scenario is just so ripe for his touch. Then, midway through, the freed slaves meet an extravagantly rich white woman who solves all of their problems. The easy answers watered down any conflicts near the end of the book. I wanted Sarny to be more of a fighter and to find inner strength through her own means, not lean on someone else for most of the story.

[Kara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't figure out this was a sequel until I was finished. I think it was ok as a stand alone. It started out stronger at maybe a 4; it offered a different perspective on slavery and the Civil War. Then it became more unrealistic. Just couldn't buy the second half of the book.

[Abbi · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a great book. You get to read more about Sarny, the young girl in "NightJohn", only now she is all grown up. You see slavery and the end of the civil war with new eyes. It was really worth reading.

[Quirkyreader · Rating 5 out of 5]

See my review on my book blog: http://quirkyreader.livejournal.com/1...

[Devon Henderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book "Sarny" by Gary Paulsen is a story about slavery. Sarny is a slave girl who has lived her entire life on a plantation. Her years in bondage are like scars embedded in her; they may fade, but they will never leave completely. Throughout the book, Sarny learns the importance of endurance and tolerance in a traumatic life such as the one she is living. A good example of Sarny learning to tolerate the horrific troubles life throws at her is when she is separated from her children. Slavery was cruel like that; splitting mother from child without remorse. When Sarny's master is killed, she becomes free, and she takes up the tedious task of hunting for her children. These actions show her perseverance and unbreakable spirit. Sarny is a role model character because she demonstrates intelligence, fortitude, and determination throughout the book. Another example of Sarny's impressively large heart and great spirit are when she and Lucy find a child, the only survivor in a house of corpses. She takes the small boy under her wing and cares for him, hoping to give him not only shelter, but a home. In the end, Sarny's hardworking and kind actions are rewarded when she is reunited with her beloved children. The book, overall, was decently plotted and had enough action to keep the reader interested. I would recommend the book to anyone who shares an interest in history or the time period of the Emancipation Proclamation.

[Noah · Rating 5 out of 5]

We all know how important education is. You not think it is but education was during the time of slaves and it still is.In the beginning of the book the author wrote how much Sarny wanted to learn to read so she could understand what the writing on everything was. In the plantation They were not allowed to be able to write and read because the slaves were not aloud to be able to be like all the white people. The men with whips and dogs they tried to stop it because they knew, they knew what it meant. Meant we were learning, coming to know how it was other places, other times. Places and times where there weren't slaves, where one didn’t own another, couldn’t own another by law. And then, some who read and some who didn’t, but just listened to the ones who read, some started to run. Run North. Running was the same as reading. It started slow, like molasses at first. They’d run and get caught. Get whipped, get cut, get hung sometimes, get killed sometimes

Sarny is a great book to read IF you like to read historical fiction, Novel. I recommend this book to anyone who like to read about slavery and how the resisted to overcome obstacles.

[Jackson Abells · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sarny is a historical fiction novel written by Gary Paulsen as if it were an autobiography. The novel is from the perspective of a freed slave woman named Sarny who must find her two children with the help of another freed slave woman named Lucy. The first half is an incredibly interesting survival story. Sarny's determination is admirable and you want to see her succeed. While there are a lot of minute details that bother me about this book, there's a couple major ones that I'd like to mention. Halfway through the book, a rich white woman who is against slavery named Miss Laura shows up and solves all of Sarny's problems. When Sarny finally finds her children, she does it with no agency of her own and the story continues for way too long. I get that Gary Paulsen wanted to make the book feel like an autobiography, but he could've saved the rest of the story after she finds her kids for a shortened epilogue. This book ends with Sarny doing very little to accomplish her goal and learning nothing.

[Nya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beaten, whipped, hung, not being able to learn to read and write and count, but still strong. Still going to get what she’s been fighting for. That’s determination, persevering, not giving up. That what Sarny did. She didn’t give up she was going to win her own little war. Sarny wasn’t going to let anything get in her way, all her struggles, the people burning down every single one of her schools, Chivington, Waller, she was determined no matter what was happening to her. It is significant to notice that Sarny is determined throughout both of the books. She has taught us a very important lesson, don’t let anything get in the way of what you want, you can do anything you believe in.

I think that this is a significant books to read if you like intense books, but if you're looking for a book thats more focused on slavery I recommend reading NightJonh. Sarny is the sequel to NightJonh so I also recommend reading NightJonh before reading Sarny.

[Marquez Kuan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A theme that is shown throughout the book "Sarny" is if you set you mind to something, have hope, and believe you can accomplish anything. When Sarny was freed by confederate soldiers she had one goal only, that was to find her kids from a slave owner. From her planation she worked at it would take her 10 days to walk many miles to New Orleans where her kids were held. As tired as she was and how bad her feet hurt she never gave up and just focused on her one and only objective, to rescue her kids. She was perseverant, brave, and bold. She never gave up. Eventually she found her kids because she set her whole mind to finding them. With out her having hope and her believing in finding her kids even at the hashes times she would probably have never found her kids. She had confidence and she was very persevering. All in all if you set your entire mind to something and have hope and believe in yourself you can accomplish your goal.

[Julian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sarny is a book about a free woman who previously fled from a plantation. Her two children, Tyler and Delie are sold off as slaves. Sarny has to go search for them. She sets off to New Orleans in search for them. This is a 500 mile journey. Sarny is free because her owner had died. Even though she is free, she gets weird looks when she is traveling, especially because she has a white child she found. She named him Tyler Too. He doesn't ever say anything. On Sarny's way, she finds Miss Laura who helps her with some problems. Overall, I think this book had good details about what was going on in that time period. It's not my type of book but it had a good story. I would recommend to someone who likes civil war novels and is interested in this topic because the story is interesting.

[Lucy Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought Sarny was a pretty good book, this book is set in the South in the 1930's. Sarny grew up on a plantation with no family, she married a man and had two kids, Tyler and Delie. When the man who owns them starts losing money to gambling, he sells Sarny's kids. This book has lots of hardships in it, her husband died from being worked to hard, and she was seperated from the only other family she knew. When the Union Army comes through the town she is freed and sets off on a long journey with her friend Lucy. Along the way Sarny learns friendship, trust and living in a whole new world. I would recommend this book to 7th graders because it was easy to read and understand and it was a great historical fiction book.

[Aimee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sarny: A Life Remembered is about a women named Sarny who lives in the time period were slavery was starting to end. She has 2 children but they get taken away by slave owners to get sold to another slave owner. Sarny embarks herself on a journey with her friend Lucy, Tyler two whom she meets on the way in her journey, and Miss. Laura to find her children and get them back. Lucy is a friend from her plantation and she wants the whites to kill each other and not exist after everything they have down to her and her people. Tyler Two is a young boy who Lucy and Sarny meet at the beginning of there journey and keep along their journey. And Miss. Laura is a wealthy white person who they alas meet along their journey and she helps them out.

[Camryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring, hard-working, and determined is the three words I would describe the character Sarny as. This book truly was a look into the past. It took place during the Civil War times. I really enjoyed this book, I felt it was a nice look into what life was like in the Civil War. I especially liked the description and detail throughout the book. It taught me what things were like in the past, but in a fun and enjoyable way. A lot of the things throughout the book were disturbing and sad, because of how life was like back then. But, it also touched me and was very meaningful. I felt very connected and engaged in the book every second I was reading it. I highly recommend this book, especially if you are looking for a fun, intense, inspiring and even a touching book to read.

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

The great part about this book is how it actually seems like a slave back during the Civil War era is telling the story. It is told from their language and how they would normally think. However, the book does lack a little tone and emotion at some parts. Some major things do happen throughout the plot, but it seems like the main character, Sarny, isn't really feeling it. I would like the book more if Sarny's life had not been so fast and rushed after the halfway point. The climax of the story was also too early. I do like the overall story mostly because of how straightforward it is. The book is kind of like an adventure and at the same time, it is historically accurate. Therefore, I may reread this book someday and I do recommend this novel.

[Apzmarshl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book goes much deeper than it's predecessor, Nightjohn, yet not as violent.
Sarny is freed from slavery during a skirmish on the plantation where she lives. Her children had just been sold, days before. She sets out to find them. On the way she sees first hand that, 'freedom costs a heap'. She eventually meets a young woman that (is black and white, but living white) is wealthy and headed to New Orleans. The woman (it seems like might be a prostitute or madam) hires Sarny to run her luxurious household. They find Sarny's children. Eventually Sarny begins schools, watches her husband be murdered, raises successful children, and inherits money to make more schools. Her desire to educate and learn reminded me somewhat of Booker T. Washington.

[Penny Louks · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is way more than a sequel to Nightjohn by the same author. It is a wonderful addition to my Civil War Book Club selections for my middle school classroom. Sarny is an indomitable woman with a full life, riddled with obstacles, hardship, and heartache but through it all she perseveres and thrives. It is a totally different perspective of a slave, taking the reader from the plantation to the difficult years following where though she is no longer a slave, definitely not an equal in society's eyes. Gary Paulsen's writing style is comforting as always, yet it shines through believably as that of a young black woman found suddenly on her own. Intended for adolescents, but it is a good read for all.

[Rohan Kumar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the book Sarny by Gary Paulsen. I thought that the plot was amazing and that the characters were relatable to other slaves in that time period. The book is about a woman who is widowed and has just lost her children to another slave owner and embarks on a journey with her friend Lucy to find them. On the way, she meets a woman who pays them to work for her and provides them a better life. My favorite woman was Miss. Laura because she made the journey to New Orleans faster for Sarny and Lucy by picking them up in the carriage. In conclusion, I loved the book Sarny and would be glad if there were other books like it.

[Kayleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel that the book Sarny was an inspiring book. Sarny is about time during and after the Civil War and Sarny who was a former slave trying to get her kids back and start a new life. Sarny goes through a lot of different challenges during the time that she is finding her kids and starting a new life. These challenges include making friends, finding a new husband since her former one died, and finding her way through life. This book is inspiring and heart warming with determination and strength shown throughout. I love that this book explains to me what it was like during that time period. I hope that you like this book too.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought the book Sarny, A life remembered was a good read. The novel teaches you life during the civil war. You get to experience Sarny's story of how she's a slave and a mother of to kids who have been auctioned off to a slave owner. I like the point of view of how the book is written like Sarny is looking back into the past and it's like that we are traveling through her memories. At some parts, it was kind of hard to follow but other than that the story always had something going on. Overall I enjoyed the story of the life of Sarny, it's not too explicit about how slaves are treated by slave owners and everything had a nice flow.

[Ahlam Tariq · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished reading Sarny by Gary Paulsen, and I found it deeply moving. I loved how Paulsen portrayed the brutality of the Civil War through the eyes of someone who had been freed from slavery. It's a sad yet hopeful story about Sarny's strength and determination as she survives and searches for her children. Along the way, she’s fortunate to meet people who help her on her journey.

I was so drawn into the story that I finished it in just two days—I couldn’t wait to see what Sarny would do next. I haven’t read Nightjohn, which is a precursor to this book, but I’m definitely interested in reading it now.

[Matt C]

The theme in this book was slavery and it was sad to be reading these books because slavery did happen many many many years ago. One of the characters that stood out to me when I was reading this book was definitely the main character, Sarny. The reason for that is that I thought Sarny had lots of courage to find her children. She was very brave, it was the time when slavery was happening which made it more difficult for Sarny to find her children. I can’t even imagine if I was put in Sarny’s position because it’s just too hard and you need to be strong in the mind to get through many obstacles. This is the second book of Nightjohn which I hope to read sometime in the future. I recommend this book to anybody who wants to take a break from reading the books they always read and read this book.

[Logan · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the historical fiction book Sarny by Gary Paulsen the theme is about how the slaves care for their family. I think that the slaves care for their family so much because they don’t have anything other than their family. Imagine that you are a slave and your kids get sold from you and you have to travel towards the slave keepers in the south. That is what Sarny has to do when her kids get sold to a slave trader and Sarny has to travel to New Orleans.

This was a really good book to learn about slavery, because

[Eren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sarny was a really in depth and lovely story with extreme and unseen ups and downs. It felt like the author was really there during the civil war and post civil war. But if this story was true, the slave would be very lucky. Stuff like this wouldn't happen to a free or escaping slave. That's because Miss Laura, a wealthy white woman from New Orleans, helped Sarny with basically the rest of her life. But not everything was happy. Many died. Including both her husband, two of her friends, and even her own son. Overall, this story was very well written and enjoyable

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought Sarny was a pretty good book for it being something i wouldnt normaly read. There were some parts I liked and some i didnt. For example I felt it was kinda pretdictable in the being, like you knew this was gonna happen before it did. Another thing i didnt like at all was how it flashed forwarded several years. I was very confused by this. But one thing I liked about Sarny was you kinda got a better idea how even though the civil war and Slavry had ended they were steal treated like they werent humans.