Genre Five - Historical Fiction

BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Pearsall, Shelley. 2002. TROUBLE DON’T LAST. New Your: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN: 0375814906.

PLOT SUMMARY:
TROUBLE DON’T LAST is the story of Samuel, an eleven year old slave in Kentucky. Late one night, Harrison, an older slave wakes Samuel and the two of them run away from their master’s home in search of freedom in Canada. Using the famous Underground Railroad, Harrison and Samuel face many hardships on their journey north but also find goodness in a world that does not always accept them.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:
Beginning with a dark cover it is apparent that most of this story takes place at night. This is most appropriate since most runaway slaves were forced to travel on the Underground Railroad in the cover of darkness. The story of the two runaway slaves, Samuel and Harrison, is told through Samuel who is a child and has little idea of what is happening. He learns as the reader does of the trouble and dangers that await him on his journey. The author’s use of figurative language puts the reader into the world of a slave who has never had any formal education. This creates some of the fear that reader and character experience since they do not always understand what is happening or what will come next.

The story begins in Kentucky where our two main characters are enslaved. It follows the pair as they sneak away in the night, encounter strangers who are helpful but also suspect in their motives. Samuel and Harrison do not always trust the people who help them but often have little alternative. Their trip on the Underground Railroad is never spoken about or given a name but the author leaves little doubt in the reader’s mind that this is the vehicle that the two slaves are traveling.

Since the story is told through the experiences of a young child, young readers can instantly sympathize with his feelings in the story. Being a child he must follow the directions of adults but once he is on the run he must make many grown up decisions for himself. Readers will be anxious with worry for Samuel and Harrison as each page could be the page where they are caught and sent back to their master in Kentucky. Shelley Pearsall does a great job of ending each chapter with a question of what will happen next on their journey.

At the end of the book Ms. Pearsall includes a map of the journey taken by Samuel and Harrison. It puts into perspective how far they had to travel and how much of it they had to walk. She also provides an Author’s Note that explains in more detail the Underground Railroad and how she researched her novel. She points out what is factual and informs readers of the parts that she made into fiction. This is a wonderful story to introduce readers to the Underground Railroad and other historical events such as the Fugitive Slave Law that existed in the years before the Civil War.


REVIEW EXCERPTS:
2003 Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction
2003 Ohioana Library Book Award, Juvenile Fiction
2003 Best Children's Book of the Year (age 9-12) with asterisk for Outstanding Merit, Bank Street College of Education
2002 Editor's Choice by Booklist
2003 Jefferson Cup Honor Book
New York Public Library selection in "Children's Books 2002: 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing"
Top Ten First Novels by Booklist
Lasting Connections book by Book Links
Top Ten Historical Fiction for Youth by Booklist

School Library Journal
"Strong characters and an inventive, suspenseful plot.”

Booklist, Starred Review
"Powerful historical novel...thrilling escape story, right until the very last chapter."

Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
"Action-packed, tautly plotted first novel presents a quest for freedom on the Underground Railroad that realistically blends kindness and cruelty...gripping from beginning to end."

CONNECTIONS:
Use examples from the book to teach “figurative” language in ELA classes.

This novel can be used in American History classes to study the Underground Railroad or as an extension to a Civil War Unit.