John Roy Lynch was born a slave but after emancipation was able to educate himself, find work, and become a U.S. congressman in 10 years. This beautifully illustrated biography tells his amazing story. Historical Note, Author’s Note, Illustrator’s Note, Timeline, Further Reading.

John Roy Lynch was born of an Irish man and a slave, meaning he was a slave. This book follows his journey from a slave to a member of the House of Representatives who fought for equal treatment for everyone. The illustrations are my favorite part of the book. sure to capture anyone's attention. This book would be good for a history lesson because while it goes through stages of John's life, it gives history on what was going on in the United States at the time. I do think this book would be good for younger audiences. ( )

As a young boy, John Roy Lynch served as a house slave at a plantation. One day, he was sent to do hard labor in the cotton fields. During this time, Abraham Lincoln became president and declared that slaves would be free. John Roy Lynch then moved to Natchez where he began to reveal in the promises of freedom. John Roy Lynch was later elected to the Mississippi House of Representatives to help govern the whole state. Later that year, at the age of 25, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. This biography, in my opinion, would be better for older children because the storyline gives a lot of extra information that could make it confusing to understand what John Roy Lynch was really known for. ( )

This is the story of a man who went from being a slave to being a U.S. Congressman in just 10 years. There are very few books about the Reconstruction era for young people, especially when you compare it to the amazing wealth of books about slavery and the Civil Rights Movement. So, this book fills a very important void. There is a lot to like about it- the straightforward language and lighthearted illustrations. I wish that the additional information given in the afterward was incorporated into the text. Sometimes the individual story of John Roy is too narrow and I want there to be more context. I think this book will raise a lot of questions for kids, and I wish I had more resources to give them to learn more. ( )

Amazing book, I learned so much of what I need to read more about our US History. The events of John Roy Lynch's life from being a toddler to his 20's were full of just enough detail to talk about the context of how his life was impacted by a period in History marked by war slavery and change. The illustration and writings are enough details to develop a lesson about many other subjects: emotions, war, civil rights, freedom. I wish this was a series. ( )