Recommended Reads: Buffalo Soldier by Tanya Landman

Our latest Recommended Read comes from Joe Mackrell, who joined us at The Reader Organisation at our HQ in Liverpool for work experience last week. We couldn't let him go without sharing his favourite book of the moment, a historical novel charting the experiences of a young African-American slave set free at the end of the American Civil War. 'Freedom' is a limited term for a girl in her situation, however, with injustice and inequality at every possible turn...

Here's Joe to tell us more:

Buffalo Soldier is the emotional story of a slave called Charlotte after the American Civil War. She is forced to choose between working in the coal mines or disguising herself as a man and joining the army. The book explores Charlotte’s feelings after being freed by Abraham Lincoln. How Charlotte deals with the death of her two best friends early in the book and the death of all her friends later in the book is fascinating. Also Charlotte is haunted by the memories of her master’s son which shows just how horrible life was as a slave. I thoroughly enjoyed this story of love and hardship and would recommend it to any other 15 year old boy as its historical context and heart-wrenching plot make it a really interesting and enjoyable read.

Buffalo Soldier, Tanya Landman, Walker (2014)

Buffalo Soldier has just won the prestigious 2015 Carnegie Medal for an outstanding new book for children and young people. The first chapter is available to read on The Guardian website, so why not whet your appetite?
https://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/ng-interactive/2015/jun/22/extract-carnegie-winner-2015-buffalo-soldier-tanya-landman