The Light Across the River
by Stephanie Reed
Published by Kregel Publications
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Reviewed by Harold N. Walters
The Light Across the River is the story of two people—Johnny Rankin who wants to become a conductor on the Underground Railroad, and Eliza, a slave who wants to flee Kentucky, cross the Ohio River and escape to Canada. Since the Rankin’s home is a station on the Underground, it is inevitable that Johnny and Eliza meet.
The signal lamps in the windows of abolitionists across the Ohio are beacons of hope for runaways. In the spring of 1838 to avoid being sold to slave dealers in New Orleans, Eliza, carrying her young son Mose, ventures to cross the frozen Ohio, despite the ice threatening to break up at any minute. Eliza is a religious woman, but at that point “Her faith dwindled smaller than a sparrow, no more than a fluff of feathers and a heartbeat, and her heart sank.” Nevertheless, cradling Moses and lying on a plank, Eliza pushes off from the Kentucky shore.
Twelve-year-old Johnny is the youngest Rankin son. His father is reluctant to allow Johnny’s participation in the Underground because Johnny tends to “run off at the mouth.” Father fears that Johnny will let slip the identity of a “passenger” if he is permitted to actually meet one.
Showing remarkable courage and faith, Eliza is determined not only to free herself and Mose from bondage but also her feeble-minded husband, George, and her daughter and grandchildren.
When Johnny eventually becomes involved in Eliza’s struggle, he learns to admire her indomitable spirit in the face of seemingly insurmountable difficulties, not the least of which is avoiding Laban Biggerman and his blood hounds.
Young readers should be aware that although largely fiction, A Light Across the River is based on historical truth. At a time when America’s newly elected president is a black man, it might be a revelation for young people to realize that there was a time when black slaves—people treated like chattel, yearning for freedom from chains real and figurative—were forced, often with slave catchers on their heels, to board the Underground Railroad, trusting it would carry them north to freedom.
Armchair Interviews says: A thought-provoking read that also educates a young adult.
Author’s Blog: http://www.HomeschoolBlogger.com/Stef