A former middle school teacher and historian, Shelley
Pearsall is now working on her next historical novel and
leading writing workshops for children.
Trouble Don’t Last is her first novel.
Pearsall did extensive research while writing Trouble Don’t Last
and traveled to towns along the escape route–including crossing the
Ohio River in a boat and visiting a community in Chatham, Ontario,
another destination for runaway slaves. “I’ve found that learning
about history in an imaginative way often sticks with students
longer than review questions in a text-book,” says Pearsall.
AUTHOR'S NOTE
The Underground Railroad is a familiar American story. It is filled
with dramatic tales of secret rooms, brave abolitionists, and
midnight journeys. But sometimes the real heroes of the story–the
runaways themselves–are left in the background. What did they think
and feel as they tried to reach freedom? What was their journey
like? Whom did the runaways trust and whom did they fear? This book
grew from my wondering about these questions. . . .
In my research, I learned that the Underground Railroad was not a
clear, organized network that led runaways from the South to the
North. Actually, the term referred to any safe routes or hiding
places used by runaways–so there were hundreds, even thousands of
"underground railroads."
Most runaways traveled just the way that Samuel and Harrison
did–using whatever temporary hiding places or means of
transportation they could find. As the number of actual railroad
lines increased throughout the country in the 1850's, some runaways
even hid on railroad cars when travelling from one place to
another. They called this "riding the steam cars" or "going the
faster way."
I also discovered that runaways were not as helpless or
ill-prepared as they are sometimes portrayed. Historical records
indicate that many slaves planned carefully for their journey. They
brought provisions such as food and extra clothing with them. Since
transportation and guides could cost money, some slaves saved money
for their escape, while others, like Samuel and Harrison, received
money from individuals they met during their journey.
White abolitionists and sympathetic religious groups like the
Quakers aided many runaways on the Underground Railroad. However,
free African Americans played an equally important role. They kept
runaways in their homes and settlements, and served as guides,
wagon drivers, and even decoys.
In fact, the character of the river man is based on the real-life
story of a black Underground Railroad guide named John P. Parker.
Like the River Man, John Parker was badly beaten as a young slave,
and so he never traveled anywhere without a pistol in his pocket
and a knife in his belt. During a fifteen year period, he ferried
more than 400 runaways across the Ohio River, and a $ 1000 reward
was once offered for his capture. After the Civil War, he became a
successful businessman in Ripley, Ohio, and patent several
inventions.
I am often asked what other parts of the novel are factual. The
gray yarn being sent as a sign? The baby buried below the church
floor? Lung fever? Guides named Ham and Eggs?
The answer is yes. Most of the events and names used in this novel
are real, but they come from many different sources. I discovered
names like Ordee Lee and Ham and Eggs in old letters and records of
the Underground Railroad. The character of Hetty Scott is based on
a description I found in John Parker's autobiography. The
heart-wrenching tale of Ordee Lee saving the locks of hair from his
family comes from a slave's actual account. However, I adapted all
of this material to fit into the story of Samuel and Harrison–so
time periods and locations have often been changed.
One of the most memorable aspects of writing this book was taking a
trip to northern Kentucky and southern Ohio in late summer. To be
able to describe the Cornfield Bottoms and the Ohio River, I walked
down to the river late at night to see what it looked like and how
it sounded in the darkness. To be able to write about Samuel's
mother, I stood on a street corner in Old Washington, Kentucky,
where slaves were once auctioned. I even stayed in houses that had
been in existence during the years of the Underground Railroad.
I chose the southern Ohio and northern Kentucky region for my
setting since it had been a very active area for the Underground
Railroad. I selected the year 1859 because Congress passed a
national law called the Fugitive Slave Act in 1850, which affected
everyone involved in the Underground Railroad. Severe penalties
such as heavy fines and jail time awaited anyone–white or black–who
helped or harbored runaway slaves anywhere in the United States
after 1850.
The law also required people to return runaway slaves to their
owners, even if the runaways were living in free states like Ohio.
African-Americans like August and Belle, who had papers to prove
their freedom, were safe from capture even though their lives were
sometimes restricted by local and state "black laws." However,
runaway slaves were only safe if they left the country and went to
places like Canada or Mexico. That is why Samuel and Harrison had
to journey all the way to Canada to be free in 1859.
So, if you visited Canada today, would you still find a peaceful
place called Harrison's Pond? And is there a tumbledown farmhouse
somewhere in Kentucky with an old burying-ground for slaves
nearby?
Harrison's Pond and Blue Ash, Kentucky, are places in my
imagination, but there are many other places to visit with solemn
footsteps and remember. I hope that you will.
–Shelley Pearsall
* “This memorable portrayal . . . proves gripping from beginning to
end.”–Starred, Publishers Weekly
* “A thrilling escape story, right until the last
chapter.”–Starred, Booklist
“Strong characters and an innovative, suspenseful plot distinguish
Pearsall’s first novel . . . A compelling story.”–School Library
Journal
“One of the best underground railroad narratives in recent years .
. . This succeeds as a suspenseful historical adventure.”–Kirkus
Reviews
“Pearsall’s heartbreaking, yet hopeful story provides a fine
supplement to lessons on slavery.”–Teacher Magazine
AWARDS
The 2003 Scott O’ Dell Award for Historical Fiction
A Booklist Top 10 First Novel
A Booklist Top Ten Historical Fiction for Youth
* "This memorable portrayal . . . proves gripping from beginning to
end."-Starred, Publishers Weekly
* "A thrilling escape story, right until the last
chapter."-Starred, Booklist
"Strong characters and an innovative, suspenseful plot distinguish
Pearsall's first novel . . . A compelling story."-School Library
Journal
"One of the best underground railroad narratives in recent years .
. . This succeeds as a suspenseful historical adventure."-Kirkus
Reviews
"Pearsall's heartbreaking, yet hopeful story provides a fine
supplement to lessons on slavery."-Teacher Magazine
AWARDS
The 2003 Scott O' Dell Award for Historical Fiction
A Booklist Top 10 First Novel
A Booklist Top Ten Historical Fiction for Youth
This action-packed, tautly plotted first novel presents a quest for freedom on the Underground Railroad that realistically blends kindness and cruelty. "Trouble follows me like a shadow," begins 11-year-old narrator Samuel. When Harrison, one of the elderly slaves who raised him after the master sold off the boy's mother, decides to run away, Samuel must go with him. "Truth is," Samuel confesses, "even the thought of going straight to Hell didn't scare me as much as the thought of running away." His fears prove justified. Samuel and Harrison's journey thrusts them into uncertainty and peril, and introduces an imaginatively and poignantly rendered cast. Characters include a black man who helps them cross the Ohio River, all the while threatening them with a pistol and a knife if they don't do exactly as he says (he abandons a less cooperative fugitive to certain capture) and a creepy young white widow who converses with her husband's ghost. Throughout, Pearsall seamlessly refers to Samuel's and Harrison's hardships under slavery, creating a sense of lives that extend past the confines of the book. This memorable portrayal of their haphazard, serendipitous and dangerous escape to freedom proves gripping from beginning to end, Ages 9-12. (Jan.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
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