Harriet Beecher Stowe is most famous for her anti-slavery book, Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Harriet began thinking about slavery at a very young age. Her father was a minister, and at four years old, while living with her grandmother and aunt, Harriet questioned why servants were not treated as equals if everyone was a child of God. Harriet’s father did not agree with slavery, and he passed this ideal on to his children. Harriet was a smart young lady who loved to read, and she was thrilled when she received access to her father’s library so she could read the books. Harriet’s first public writing achievement came at the age of twelve, when she submitted an essay for a school contest and won first prize. At age thirteen, Harriet went to Hartford to study at the school for girls that her sister had opened. Harriet became a full-time teacher at the school at the age of twenty-one. A few years later, Harriet’s father received a job offer in Cincinnati and Harriet moved there with her family. She was appalled to discover slavery just across the river in Kentucky. Harriet’s writing career began when she wrote a geography textbook, and she continued to write articles and stories. Her first real look at slavery came at the age of twenty-two when she went to help teach a student who lived in Kentucky. Harriet was shocked that no one in the family seemed to do any work around the house – the slaves took care of everything. Harriet became an abolitionist, fiercely opposed to slavery. However, she was unable to write about slavery because she needed to write stories she could sell for money to support her family. After Harriet’s husband received a job offer in New England, Harriet moved back to her home with her children. Around this time, more and more laws were being passed that made live for African Americans and slaves unbearable. The Fugitive Slave Act was passed, meaning that slaves who escaped to the north were still not safe because they could be returned to their owners in the south. It was then Harriet realized that she had to do something, and she began to write what later became known as “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” Instead of writing for the money, Harriet wrote this book to show the nation the true evils of slavery and the slave trade. The book exploded, selling thousands of copies across the nation and pulling Harriet’s family from their financial troubles. Harriet even got to take a trip to Europe! Harriet Beecher Stowe also wrote another book named “Dred: A Tale of the Great Dismal Swamp,” to inspire escaped slaves to rise up against their former owners and take a stand. After both of her books were published, Harriet was the most widely read author in the country.
I really enjoyed reading this book. It gave a lot more information than the picture book I read, and it gave me the opportunity to learn more about Harriet’s life outside of her writing. It was also written at a higher reading level, so it would be appropriate for older children to discover more about this incredible woman. ( )

I did not know much about Stowe before reading this book. This book is pretty standard for a series book. There are pictures with captions and the author does a good job of presenting a book that seems reliable-- there is a bibliography and source notes. Nonetheless, I do find that the book does not present any information that I did not know before; the scope is pretty limited to Stowe's interests as an abolitionist. ( )