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Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.'s American Heroes: Robert Smalls, the Boat Thief (American Heroes)
by: Robert F., Jr. Kennedy

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Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 920
EAN: 9781423108023
ISBN: 1423108027
Label: Hyperion Book CH
Manufacturer: Hyperion Book CH
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 48
Publication Date: September 30, 2008
Publisher: Hyperion Book CH
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
Release Date: September 30, 2008
Sales Rank: 13294
Studio: Hyperion Book CH

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Editorial Review:

Product Description:
On a moonlit night in the spring of 1862, six slaves stole one of the Confederacy's most crucial gunships from its wharf in the South Carolina port of Charleston, and delivered it to the Federal Navy. This audacious and intricately coordinated escape, masterminded by a 24-year-old sailor named Robert Smalls, astonished the world and exploded the Confederate claim that Southern slaves did not crave freedom or have the ability to take decisive action. Robert Smalls's heroic career had only begun. A brilliant sailor and strategist, he was quickly promoted to the rank of captain in the Federal Navy where he served courageously in many critical battles. Not only was Smalls a great soldier, he was also a powerful activist, whose appeal to Abraham Lincoln convinced the president to enlist 5,000 former slaves, shattering the color barrier that had kept black men out of the service. Smalls drew great crowds as an eloquent public speaker, and his outstanding character inspired the broad public support that encouraged Lincoln to ratify the Emancipation Proclamation. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. tells the story of another great American hero, a man who did not flinch in the face of extraordinary dangers--a man whose dedication to the cause of freedom made him one the most important participants in the American Civil War.

Customer Reviews

Average Rating: out of 5 stars

Rating:

- Robert Smalls, the Boat Thief
Very thin book. Not worth the money. A poor gift. If you give it as a gift you'll look cheap.

Rating:

- Rutgers University Project on Economics and Children
As a young slave in Beaufort, South Carolina, Robert Smalls worked in the McKee house with his mother, who regularly reminded him of the harsh conditions she had experienced as a field slave and the brutal treatment of other slaves in Beaufort. These lessons deepened Robert's hatred of slavery and his longing for freedom. When Robert was twelve, Henry McKee hired Robert out in Charleston for various jobs, including waiter, lamplighter, and stevedore. Robert's reputation as a hard worker with excellent technical abilities led to a position sailing a merchant schooner along the Georgia and Carolina coasts.

Over time, Robert married and had two children, but because the legal system required Robert to turn almost all his wages over to McKee, the dream of buying his family's freedom remained elusive. With the start of the Civil War, Robert found new work as a deckhand, and later pilot, on a large Confederate ... Read More

Rating:

- Surprised by too many inaccuracies but still worth reading . . .
I received my fresh copy of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.'s new book, Robert Smalls: The Boat Thief, in the mail today. I was thrilled to read it.

My comments and criticisms do not take away from the reality that Kennedy has essentially got the basic story right, but the flaws in the book and the story as told, reduces the power of the fuller story as I will show in this review.

Overall, I'm delighted this book is in print and I'd recommend it for reading for grades 4th-6th, with the below-listed reservations.

In full-disclosure, I have been seriously researching the Robert Smalls story for eight years so some of my critiques might seem a little picks. You be the judge.

First, on the positive side, it is beautifully illustrated. Patrick Faricy did an excellent job. There are roughly 15 illustrations, mostly in color.

But there are several downsides to this book ... Read More

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