Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews (Thu Apr 28 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

The true story of an enslaved woman finding freedom and creating a home and community. This book is "a creative act of repairing the historical record, of imagining Biddy Mason's life based on all the information and stories we could gather," explain the co-authors in a preface. Scenes are written in free verse. Each poem is followed by information about Biddy's world: slavery and midwifery, plantation life and economy, migration, the struggle for freedom, and life as a free black person. Born into slavery and separated from her mother, Biddy learns about healing plants from the woman who takes her in. She is later sold away and forced to migrate across the country. In Utah and then in California, where slavery is illegal, Biddy encounters Native people and free blacks. Instead of following her master to Texas, where slavery is legal, Biddy manages to resist in court and gain her freedom. Her story doesn't end there. Her later life as a healer, homesteader, and community builder fills the last third of the book, ending on a note of hope. Poems are illustrated, and nonfiction sections include archival photographs, vocabulary words, timelines, and questions encouraging readers to reflect on their own lives. The cruelty of slavery, including brutal whippings and rape, is presented in the scenes and explained in the notes. Difficult but necessary, inclusive and respectful, this book does a beautiful job of telling truths about our history and how we construct it. (source notes, bibliography, index) (Blended nonfiction/historical fiction. 9-14)

ALA Booklist (Fri Mar 01 00:00:00 CST 2019)

Born into slavery, Biddy Mason learned midwifery and the healing powers of herbal medicines. When her Mississippi plantation owners, the Smiths, converted to Mormonism, they took Biddy and her children with them to Utah and eventually to California, a free state. Years later, after learning that the Smiths were planning to take Biddy and her children to Texas and back into slavery, her African American community came to her rescue. This entry in the Fighting for Justice series uses a multimodal approach to recount Biddy's life story, including speaking up and winning her freedom and becoming an influential Los Angeles land owner and philanthropist. Episodic chapters in verse are followed by nonfiction text that chunks information on Biddy, slavery, and related historical places and events. Together, they feature colorful depictions of Biddy's life, reproductions, period photographs, glossary words, time lines, and social justice question prompts. Photos and descriptions of healing herbs also tie the chapters together. A final section considers modern social justice issues related to Biddy's causes. The nontraditional format makes this an appealing biography.

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

The true story of an enslaved woman finding freedom and creating a home and community. This book is "a creative act of repairing the historical record, of imagining Biddy Mason's life based on all the information and stories we could gather," explain the co-authors in a preface. Scenes are written in free verse. Each poem is followed by information about Biddy's world: slavery and midwifery, plantation life and economy, migration, the struggle for freedom, and life as a free black person. Born into slavery and separated from her mother, Biddy learns about healing plants from the woman who takes her in. She is later sold away and forced to migrate across the country. In Utah and then in California, where slavery is illegal, Biddy encounters Native people and free blacks. Instead of following her master to Texas, where slavery is legal, Biddy manages to resist in court and gain her freedom. Her story doesn't end there. Her later life as a healer, homesteader, and community builder fills the last third of the book, ending on a note of hope. Poems are illustrated, and nonfiction sections include archival photographs, vocabulary words, timelines, and questions encouraging readers to reflect on their own lives. The cruelty of slavery, including brutal whippings and rape, is presented in the scenes and explained in the notes. Difficult but necessary, inclusive and respectful, this book does a beautiful job of telling truths about our history and how we construct it. (source notes, bibliography, index) (Blended nonfiction/historical fiction. 9-14)

School Library Journal (Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 CST 2018)

Gr 8 Up-White and Atkins detail the life of Bridget "Biddy" Mason, a successful nurse and businesswoman who secured freedom for her and her children through legal action, and use her story as a lens through which to examine the experiences of enslaved people in the United States and the history of slavery as an institution. Each chapter begins in verse accompanied by bright illustrations, describing imagined scenes from Mason's life. (The introduction states that the authors "imagin[ed] Biddy Mason's life based on all the information and stories we could gather." The detailed source notes, located in the back matter, indicate where the information was drawn from.) This is followed by factual investigations into key historical moments and daily life throughout the time period. These thoughtfully written sections are well arranged with clear headings, definitions for important terms in the text and in sidebars, captioned historical images, questions for discussion, and time lines. An extensive amount of back matter makes this an enormously useful resource for students. A section at the end titled "Healing Your Community: From Biddy's Day to Ours" encourages readers to think about injustice in their own communities, and how they might speak up themselves. Readers and those recommending this book should note that the book includes a description of rape and discussion of sexual abuses suffered by enslaved people. VERDICT A first purchase for biography, history, and general nonfiction collections alike. Darla Salva Cruz, Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NY