Willow

by Tonya Cherie Hegamin Narrated by Janina Edwards

Overview

It is 1848.

On one side of the Mason-Dixon Line lives fifteen-year-old Willow, her master's favorite servant. She's been taught to read and has learned to write. She is permitted to spend much of her time riding her horse to the riverbank, where she writes letters to her dead mother. On the other side of the line is seventeen-year-old Cato, a black man, free born. It's his personal mission to sneak as many fugitive slaves to freedom as he can. He does it both because he abhors slavery and to prove to his father that he is a man. When Willow's and Cato's lives intersect, they will discover the true meanings of bondage and freedom, of family and love.

Tonya Cherie Hegamin's moving coming-of-age story is a poignant meditation on the many ways a person can be enslaved and the force of will necessary to be truly emancipated.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

11/11/2013
A solid historical foundation, strong characterizations, and lyrical descriptions highlight Hegamin’s rich novel about slavery and black/white relations before the Civil War. Set in 1848 on the border of the Mason-Dixon line, the story follows two black teenagers: a motherless 15-year-old slave, Willow, and an educated 17-year-old freeborn boy, Cato, passionate about helping fugitive slaves. Eventually their paths cross, but even then the focus remains strongly on Willow and her struggle between being a devoted daughter and fifth-generation slave on Knotwild Plantation and her hunger for education. Willow is taught to read and write by the fair-minded and kind master, Reverend Jeffries, and her poetic voice resonates from the opening pages: “The tree bowed to the edge of the river in such a polite way that it looked as though the tree were asking the river for a waltz.” Hegamin (M+O 4EVR) creates a broad spectrum of believable black characters, while white roles (excepting Rev Jeff) are relatively minor and rarely sympathetic. Tension and suspense infuse the book, but build most effectively in the final scenes, when freedom seems unattainable. Engrossing and educational. Ages 14–up. Agent: Jeff Dwyer, Dwyer & O’Grady. (Feb.)

From the Publisher

Stirring. . . . Readers will be caught up in the girl's quiet bravery and her search for the truth behind her mother's mysterious, long-ago death. Even as Tonya Cherie Hegamin reveals slavery's dehumanizing effect on every character — black and white, owned and owner — she also celebrates the power of friendship and love.
—The Washington Post

[A]ffecting . . . Hegamin has crafted a suspenseful coming-of-age novel filled with captivating and poetic language. Character building is strong, and Willow’s growth and transformation is both heartbreaking and inspirational. A must-read for those who enjoy historical fiction.
—School Library Journal

A riveting historical novel... The clear prose of Hegamin allows for a realistic, relatable narrative and underscores the injustices of enslavement. . . . Hegamin handles the adult realities of enslavement and the nineteenth-century setting appropriately for high school readers. ... Hegamin’s exemplary novel complements such classics as the slave narratives by Harriet Jacobs and Frederick Douglass.
—The Horn Book

This richly textured narrative deftly teases out attitudes that are too often simplified elsewhere. . . . An intelligent story. Hegamin touches on themes rarely treated with such grace and nuance; her combination of history, thoughtful reflection, suspense, and romance will satisfy broad readerly tastes.
—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

[An] arresting story, richly historical, with an engaging narrator and well-drawn secondary characters . . . A gripping . . .  exploration of the anguishing impact of slavery.
—Kirkus Reviews

With an unflinching eye, Hegamin explores the complicated relationships created by slavery, and the horrors specific to being a female slave. ... [T]he final exploration of [Willow's family] secrets creates a beautiful parallel to Willow’s current dilemma. Duty, love, and the freedom to be a fully realized human being make up the crux of this stirring tale.
—Booklist

Tonya Cherie Hegamin slides period details into Willow's simple, insightful narrative, creating a fluid reading experience . . . "Willow" is a well-researched historical novel that features a unique aspect of American slavery.
—BookPage

A solid historical foundation, strong characterizations, and lyrical descriptions highlight Hegamin’s rich novel about slavery and black/white relations before the Civil War. . . . Engrossing and educational.
—Publishers Weekly

School Library Journal - Audio

05/01/2014
Gr 7 Up—This story of a slave family bound to a benevolent master by blood and generations of service is well-researched historical fiction. The drama is enhanced by touches of mystery, suspense, and romance, with strong characterization and a modern theme. Despite her bondage, 15-year-old Willow grows up to read Shakespeare, write in a journal, and dream of marrying for love, all against her father's wishes. Willow's first-person point of view alternates with the story of freeborn Cato, who's trapped on the southern side of the Mason-Dixon line, until their stories merge. Janina Edwards's clear and controlled narration features varied accents and speech patterns so that characters can be easily identified. In the end, teenage readers will identify with Willow's painful choices—slave or free, love or family—as she searches for her own identity.—Toby Rajput, National Louis University, Skokie, IL

School Library Journal

01/01/2014
Gr 7 Up—Willow is an affecting novel set in 1848 Maryland, on a plantation just south of the Mason-Dixon line. Fifteen-year-old Willow is favored by her master, Rev. Jeff. Despite the laws against educating slaves, he has taught her to read and write, although he forbids her to read anything but the Bible. With terribly cruel plantation masters as her neighbors, Willow feels fortunate to have a place in a good home with a "kind master." Just over the Pennsylvania border, Cato, a young black man, born free, is determined to assist as many slaves to freedom as he can. When their lives intersect, Willow's worldview is thrown into question and she is faced with a monumental decision. Hegamin has crafted a suspenseful coming-of-age novel filled with captivating and poetic language. Character building is strong, and Willow's growth and transformation is both heartbreaking and inspirational. A must-read for those who enjoy historical fiction.—Tiffany Davis, Mount Saint Mary College, Newburgh, NY

Kirkus Reviews

2013-11-13
An educated slave girl struggles against the confines of race and gender in this coming-of-age story set in 1848 on the Pennsylvania-Maryland border. Fifteen-year-old Willow, taught to read by her master, writes letters at her mother's grave, located within sight of the granite Mason-Dixon Line marker. Papa, whom Willow adores--until she finds out what really has happened to her mother--is as controlling as any white master and determined to marry Willow off to a brute from the neighboring plantation. Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award–winning author Hegamin (Most Loved in All the World, 2009, etc.) juxtaposes Willow's first-person narration with Cato's story: a free black 17-year-old aspiring to lead slaves to freedom. When the teens' lives intersect, they fall in love at first sight, precipitating tumultuous results. This arresting story, richly historical, with an engaging narrator and well-drawn secondary characters, is unfortunately marred. The authenticity of Willow's voice, with its awkward sentence structure and dialect, may make the book difficult to access for many in the intended audience. The lack of distinct chapters adds to confusion, as the narrative shifts between the two main characters' stories. The author has researched deeply, but historical tidbits adding local color are so numerous as to impede the plot's progression and even to feel didactic. A gripping but uneven exploration of the anguishing impact of slavery. (Historical fiction. 14-17)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940172667824
Publisher:	Brilliance Audio
Publication date:	02/11/2014
Edition description:	Unabridged

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