Dear America: I Thought My Soul Would Rise and Fly

Joyce Hansen's Coretta Scott King Honor Book I THOUGHT MY SOUL WOULD RISE AND FLY is now back in print with a gorgeous new package!

Patsy, an orphaned slave with a bad leg and a quiet nature, is considered slow by the Davis family. But Patsy's smart -- smart enough to learn to read and write on the sly. After the Civil War ends and slavery is abolished, Patsy believes Master Davis's promise to pay the former house slaves and to educate the slave children. But when the master ignores his promise to establish a school and the Freedmen's Bureau cannot provide a teacher, Patsy steps in to teach the students to read and write.

Patsy's diary is filled with courage, conviction, and hope as she strives toward her freedom.