This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.
Annie Maude Pickett Smith
Born 30 March 1928 on a farm near Magnolia, North Carolina, Maude was introduced to “books” by her mother, a former school teacher. After attending the eleven years offered at Magnolia School, she went to East Carolina Teachers College (Greenville) for a year and then to Miller Motte Business School (Wilmington). She has done varied work in public education (e.g., substitute teacher, teacher’s aide, secretary to the principal, head of the library). A volunteer EMT twenty years for the Rescue Squad and Hospice Volunteer of the Year, she was church pianist/organist sixty-three years, was a caregiver (like Hester), and continues to serve as Town Historian and run two businesses with her sons. In 1999, she began to attend writing institutes and is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. She also loves woodworking, has made many pieces of furniture, and paints with oils. In 2012, she purchased an historic home that was about to be destroyed.
Reviewed by Patricia Althoff for Readers' Favorite
Slavery. In the twenty-first century it is difficult to imagine relationships among free and owned people. Due primarily to the poor living conditions of slaves on this plantation and the uncaring attitude of the owner, Hester's mother died after giving birth when Hester was just four years old. Her father lived on a different plantation, so she was taken in by another slave family, but was sold away from all she knew at the tender age of five. Sold again at ten years old, she became a live-in companion to a girl her own age. Hester's friendship with Missy Mary spans several years as they share good times and bad, always friends, yet always owner and slave. This delicate balance reflects even modern day race relations in the Deep South. "Hester" is a short, easy-to-read insightful book that introduces readers to the issue of slavery on a personal level. The author turns a 107 year old woman's recollections of her life as a former slave girl into a captivating story by imagining thoughts and conversations surrounding those events.
Hester and Missy Mary come alive in the author's descriptive writing. The conversation is written in dialect, which lends credibility to the characters and enhances the effect of the portrayal of class distinction in the story. The pictures of family members make the book a more personal experience. This book really transported me back in time to that period, and I found myself wanting to know more about these families. I could have read and enjoyed many more pages of episodes from their lives. The book is suitable for even young people and could be used in a classroom setting as well.
