Historical Ficition Book Review: NIGHTJOHN

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Paulsen, Gary. 1993. NIGHTJOHN. New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 0440219361

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Sarny is a twelve year old slave for Celel Waller a viciously mean cotton plantation owner in South Carolina. Sarny doesn’t really know who her true parents are, but calls Delie, her mammy. Delie takes care of all the young children on the plantation, including Sarny. Then word spreads throughout the plantation that a new slave, Nightjohn, is coming. During his first day at the plantation, Sarny meets Nightjohn and they make a deal. She’ll give him tobacco and he will teach her how to read, which was highly illegal. Nightjohn agrees and during the night Sarny and Nighjohn meet. Nightjohn teaches Sarney letters and numbers. During the course of the story, the reader learns that Nightjohn has escaped to the North, but returned to the South to teach slave children how to read and write.

One day Waller, catches Sarny writing words in the dirt, this makes Waller go into a vicious rage and he is hell bent on finding out who taught Sarny how to read and write. He immediately accuses Delie and mercilessly whips her until Nighjohn confesses to teaching Sarny. Waller punishes Nightjohn by cutting off two of his toes…one on each foot. With only four toes on each foot, Nightjohn runs away fro Waller’s plantation and things return to normal. Then one night Nightjohn returns to the plantation at night to get Sarny and take her an underground school to teach slave children how to read and write.


3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Gary Paulsen, paints a vivid picture of slavery and what life was like as a slave in his novel NIGHTJOHN. Told from the perspective of twelve year old Sarny, readers have a chance to experience the life of a child slave on an active plantation. Since the story is told from Sarny’s point of view, Paulsen chose to write the entire book in broken English. This sometimes made the book difficult to understand, but let the reader fully experience how salves talked during this historic time period.

Furthermore, Paulsen doesn’t shy away from the brutality of slavery. He graphically shows the depths of what masters like Waller go through to prevent what were then illegal activities done by his slaves. Paulsen recounts beatings received by Delie and the amputation of Nightjohn’s toes and how slaves used grease and salt to help stop bleeding and heal up wounds. With vivid recounts of such brutal acts, as punishment for doing something that all children in the United States take for granted, learning to read and write, readers can’t help but feel sympathy for Sarny, Nightjohn, and Delie and admire the courage all three showed, especially Nightjohn, to make sure Sarny and other slaves learn how to read.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
KIRKUS review: “A searing picture of slavery, sometime in the 19th century at an unspecified place in the South… the compelling events are ineradicably memorable.”

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY review: “Among the most powerful of Paulsen's works, this impeccably researched novel sheds light on cruel truths in American history as it traces the experiences of a 12-year-old slave girl in the 1850s.”

5. CONNECTIONS
*After reading the book NIGHTJOHN, watch the Disney adaptation of the book and make comparisons between the book and movie adaptation.
*Use book to prompt discussion about the treatment of slaves and the cause for such treatment.
*Read the sequel to NIGHTJOHN called SARNY: A LIFE REMEMBERED and discuss the evolution of her character.

*Other books that discuss slavery and/or life after slavery
Paulsen, Gary. SARNY: A LIFE REMEMBERED. ISBN: 9780440219736
Stowe, Harriet Beecher. UNCLE TOM’S CABIN. ISBN: 9780486440286
Draper, Sharon M. COPPER SUN. ISBN: 9781416953487
Rinaldi, Ann. NUMBERING ALL THE BONES. ISBN: 9780786813780