Minty: A Story of Young Harriet Tubman by Alan Schroeder and Illustrator Jerry Pinkney

Minty is a fiction book about Harriet Tubman growing up on a plantation before she became the conductor of the Underground Railroad. The story provides a small glimpse of Tubman's, or Minty's, life regarding how she was treated and her thirst for freedom. She did not listen to the overseers or plantation owners when they ordered her to perform duties, leading to brutal consequences. First, she is sent out of the house to work in the fields in the hot sun permanently and then whipped for disobeying an order by the overseer. Despite the book being fictional, "the plot has actual events that are small, but is rich with melodrama, suspense, pathos, and of course a powerful vision of freedom." ("A fictional extrapolation, 1996)

Critical Analysis

Minty is told in the third person and the story is short, easy to follow, and the setting is consistent with historical times. The protagonist is strong-willed, confident, and adaptable. Themes include resilience, courage, and friendship. The illustrations are drawn with brown and green watercolors that help give a sense of the past without being overwhelming. Pinkney provides intricate illustrations of the character's emotions and detailed backgrounds that tell a harsh reality for the enslaved people. Likewise, "the complicated compositions convey psychological aspects of slavery and make the individual characters even more distinct." ("A fictional extrapolation, 1996) The illustrations are rich in cultural detail, including dress, transportation, and family support. In 1997, illustrator Jerry Pinkney won the Coretta Scott King Award in illustration for Minty.

The strength of Minty is that it is culturally representative of illustrations and harsh conditions for enslaved people. The weakness is that the story only details a short part of Minty's life on the plantation. Readers may enjoy Henry's Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad by Ellen Levine and illustrated by Kadir Nelson with a similar story of an enslaved child's search for freedom.

References

"A fictional extrapolation". (1996, May 1). Minty: A Story of Young Harriet Tubman. Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved June 17, 2022, from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/a/alan-schroeder-4/minty-a-story-of-young-harriet-tubman/

Schroeder, A. (2000). Minty: A story of young Harriet Tubman. (J. Pinkney, Illust.) Puffin Books.