Nightjohn by Gary Paulsen
	List Price:   $6.99 Unit Price:   $5.59 You Save:   $1.40 (20%) ISBN-10:   0440219361 ISBN-13:   9780440219361 Publisher:   Random House; Laure Leaf Category:   Young Adults Pub. Date:   January 1995 Pages:   112 Format:   Mass Market Ages:   12 to 17
Description/Notes
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.