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Nightjohn Review

I cannot say too many good things about this production. I was tired when I ordered it, so was surprised when it came and I discovered that there were no sub-titles! Anyhow, I was impressed with the quality of the production, the "telling-it-like-it-was", the acting which was VERY fine, the story which rings true, etc. etc., and it made me ashamed all over again of the treatment imposed upon black slaves in the south in the 1800's. I truly hope that the guilty white plantation and slave "owners" sincerely repented of their oppression of the blacks before they died!

The story centers around "Nightjohn", a black adult slave who somehow managed to learn to read & write elsewhere (some of the dialogue explained this I'm sure, but without subtitles I missed it), and he takes it upon himself to teach this secretly to a little 12-year old slave girl, which is punishable by death if he's caught. But he risks it. Beau Bridges plays the part of the evil slave-owner, and does a great acting job, for you really hate him!!

This is an excellent movie, and should be seen by everyone who wants to know how things were in the 19th century in the USA. A valuable lesson can be gleaned from this movie, that we are all human beings and as such are all children of our Heavenly Father, regardless of our race or color, and therefore are all of us brothers and sisters. A concept strange and apparently hard to accept by some, but nevertheless true. Too bad that it took LAWS to eliminate slavery, instead of love for each other.

If this DVD offered subtitles, I'd give it TEN stars!! (at least) But again let me say that it is in no way an ameteurish production! Top-notch all the way!

Nightjohn Feature

ISBN13: 9780440219361
Condition: New
Notes: BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed

Nightjohn Overview

"To know things, for us to know things, is bad for them. We get to wanting and when we get to wanting it's bad for them. They thinks we want what they got . . . . That's why they don't want us reading." --Nightjohn

"I didn't know what letters was, not what they meant, but I thought it might be something I wanted to know. To learn." -- Sarny

Sarny, a female slave at the Waller plantation, first sees Nightjohn when he is brought there with a rope around his neck, his body covered in scars.

He had escaped north to freedom, but he came back--came back to teach reading. Knowing that the penalty for reading is dismemberment Nightjohn still retumed to slavery to teach others how to read. And twelve-year-old Sarny is willing to take the risk to learn.

Set in the 1850s, Gary Paulsen's groundbreaking new novel is unlike anything else the award-winning author has written. It is a meticulously researched, historically accurate, and artistically crafted portrayal of a grim time in our nation's past, brought to light through the personal history of two unforgettable characters.

Nightjohn Specifications

Imagine being beaten for learning to read, shackled and whipped for learning a few letters of the alphabet. Now, imagine a man brave enough to risk torture in order to teach others how to read; his name is Nightjohn, and he sneaks into the slave camps at night to teach other slaves how to read and write. Celebrated author Gary Paulsen writes a searing meditation on why the ability to read and write is radical, empowering , and so necessary to our freedom. These skills threaten our oppressors because they allow us to communicate--to learn the real status of our slavery and to seek liberation. In this tightly written, painful, joyous little novel is a key that may unlock the power of reading for even the most reluctant teens.

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Customer Reviews

Wonderful Book and Learning Tool - "NightJohn" - Pam Tee -
The setting for this wonderful book is a plantation in the Old South. The story is told by a young girl who quietly survives under terrible conditions. Her world is described to us in simple words like you might expect a youngster to use. She talks about the coming of Nightjohn, a man who escaped slavery, who made it to the North, only to return to the South with a mission.

I thought Paulsen did a fantastic job of bringing this girl's "voice" alive. It was succinctly clear how horrible the institution of slavery was. How ignorance was perpetuated. And how human nature cannot be stymied even by these most wretched of conditions.

I highly recommend this to adults, young adults, and middle-school-aged kids. I do add the caveat though that it might not be appropriate though for very sensitive youngsters. There's some gritty events here.

AR: 3.8

a mini-review
(Pam T for booksforkids-reviews)

Gary Paulsen doesn't soften his character's experiences for the reader - gill's ginger - Port Orchard, WA United States
and I like that about him. I think this is perfectly acceptable reading for tweens and teen audiences. He tells it like it was for his characters, and I think my tweens and teens understood that, appreciated it, and respected the book and story because of it.

A Difficult but Good Read - Shel Julian Kessel - Columbus, Oh
Paulsen, G. (1993). Nightjohn. New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young
Readers.

0440219361

Told from the perspective of twelve-year-old Sarny, the historical Nightjohn shares the trials of the slaves on the Waller plantation. Sarny, a quiet outsider who can't even remember her mother who was sold while Sarny was still young, is the first to notice Clel Waller's newest slave, a heavily scarred tall man named John. Sarny learns that John had escaped to freedom previously, but willingly returned to The South to teach slaves, to teach Sarny how to read and write.

Sarny tells of the horrible abuses some of the other slaves have had to endure on the plantation. This book would undoubtedly provoke emotional reactions. A teacher will have to be prepared to help students manage the experience of reading this book. The only white person shown to any extent in the story is Clel Waller and his maltreatment of the slaves as well as the fact that Sarny's descriptions of him usually include the word `maggot' may mean that a teacher will have to remind students that while Waller is the most evil piece of snot to learn to speak and hold a whip, other white people worked tirelessly for the slaves' education and liberation. And others did nothing.

There is a sequel called Sarny. I'll admit I haven't read it yet. Have any of you read it, my dear but few readers? What were your thoughts?

On a much lighter note, did you know that Paulsen has written over 130 books? For reals. The majority of stories involve nature, animals, nature, eating uncooked things, nature, being attacked by wild animals, dogs, the artistic drive, nature, kids surviving in nature, more dogs, his own experiences in nature, etc. So seeing him go historical on his readers was a fresh slant.
While I have great respect for him and his work, do you think, just maybe, Paulsen could leave a few ideas and pieces of paper for the rest of us to publish with? Pretty please.

Activities to do with the book:

Since this story shows characters desperate to learn to read and write, this book would be wonderful for struggling readers to show them the historical significance of literacy as empowerment.

Teachers could urge students to do reflective journal writing in response to the book. The book could be paired with lessons on history or could trigger discussions on morality.

Since the end of the book does leave the reader with some hope, but lacks an actual conclusion, students could write their own endings to the novel.

Favorite Quotes

"This is a story about Nightjohn. I guess in some ways it is a story about me just as much because I am in it and I know what happened and some of it happened to me but it still seems to be about him" (p. 13).

"You ran and got away?" mammy asked.
"I did."
"You ran until you were clean away?"
"I did."
"And you came back?"
"I did."
"Why?"
He sighed and it sounded like his voice, like his laugh. Low and way off thunder. It made me think he was going to promise something, the way thunder promises rain. "For this."
"What you mean--this?"
"To teach reading" (p. 55).

FOR MORE OF MY REVIEWS, VISIT sjkessel.blogspot.com

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Sep 03, 2010 17:52:05

Children's Books

Friday, September 3, 2010