52 Books in 52 Weeks - Book 22: Courage to Run

This is another book that I read as a preview for future homeschool assignments. This year I am making a conscious effort  to include books that relate matters of faith to the topics and areas that we are covering. Toward that end I picked up a copy of the book Courage to Run, A Story Based on the Life of Harriet Tubman. Ms. Tubman was a runaway slave that ended up returning south to help many others cross the line into free states in 19th century United States. This book is unique in that it covers the life Ms. Tubman had as a slave - in particular, her childhood. Riddled throughout this short book are references to clandestine church meetings, hymns in the field and her personal reliance on prayer. I am afraid I've grown a bit cynical with the publishing world. Secular publishers intentionally leave out references to spiritual matters and Christian publishers intentionally go overboard in their efforts include them. This book seems to strike a balance between the two. As this book relates conversations in detail, using quotation marks, I would categorize it as historical fiction rather than biography, much the same as the Childhood of Famous Americans series. This is a book that I will make available to my son, but not one I will require him to read. Those who are studying American History will find this book useful in their studies with their elementary students who are around the ages of 8-10. It could also serve as a read aloud for younger children.