Fall 2021: Wild Readers Group 5 discussion

The Underground Abductor was the first of the 9 books by Nathan Hale, called Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales, that I read. It blew me away. I learned so much about Harriet Tubman. Although to me she was always an icon, I understood after reading this book that I knew very little about her. This upset me--it's through learning about historical figures that we can learn so much about history! So this book showed me what I already knew--that what we are taught in school about American history is so very limited, and leaves so much out.

Do you know how hard it was for slaves to escape? Do you know how hard it was not only to escape but to smuggle out other slaves? Do you know the odds that Tubman had stacked against her every time she went back to plantations to rescue more slaves? It's absolutely incredible to read about. Did you know she was narcoleptic? Did you know that she served in the Union Army against the Confederacy in the civil war after rescuing so many slaves? And this is a graphic novel--you won't be able to put it down, and neither will your students. All of Nathan Hale's graphic novels about American History are beautifully drawn and packed with action and humor. And the whole time you're learning about history the way I feel we should all learn about history. Through stories.