The Civil War is over, but Patsy doesn't feel free. Little has changed on the plantation for this girl who has been a house slave all of her life. Even as some of the older Black men and women start brave journeys into difficult but hopeful new lives, Patsy is still tending to the needs of Master, Mistress and the house. She has no one with whom to start her own life of freedom. Instead, Patsy continues the work she has always done, waiting for the promised plantation school that she and others look upon as a beacon of hope. Patsy, who learned how to write by surreptitiously listening when the children of the house had their lessons, finds solace in her diary, where she describes these new and confusing times. These diary entries in Patsy's authentic, believable voice comprise a captivating narrative in Joyce Hansen's novel that articulates the emotional weight and historical significance of these times of slow yet sweeping change. (Ages 10-13) Winner, CCBC Coretta Scott King Award Discussion: Writing

Joyce Hansen's Coretta Scott King Honor Book I THOUGHT MY SOUL WOULD RISE AND FLY is now back in print with a gorgeous new package!

Patsy, an orphaned slave with a bad leg and a quiet nature, is considered slow by the Davis family. But Patsy's smart -- smart enough to learn to read and write on the sly. After the Civil War ends and slavery is abolished, Patsy believes Master Davis's promise to pay the former house slaves and to educate the slave children. But when the master ignores his promise to establish a schoo, and the Freedmen's Bureau cannot provide a teacher, Patsy steps in to teach the students to read and write.

Patsy's diary is filled with courage, conviction, and hope as she strives toward her freedom.