We Are the Scribes
ISBN10: 1250820316
ISBN13: 9781250820310
Hardcover
304 Pages
$18.99
CA$24.99
Ruth Fitz is surrounded by activism. Her mother is a senator who frequently appears on CNN as a powerful Black voice fighting for legislative social change within the Black community. Her father, a professor of African American history, is a walking encyclopedia, spouting off random dates and events. And her beloved older sister, Virginia, is a natural activist, steadily gaining notoriety within the community and on social media. Ruth, on the other hand, would rather sit quietly reading or writing in her journal.
When her family is rocked by tragedy, Ruth stops writing. As life goes on, Ruth’s mother is presented with a political opportunity she can’t refuse. Just as Senator Fitz is more absent, Ruth begins receiving parchment letters with a seal reading WE ARE THE SCRIBES, sent by Harriet Jacobs, the author of the autobiography and 1861 American classic, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl.
Is Ruth dreaming? How has she been chosen as a “scribe” when she can barely put a sentence together? In a narrative that blends present with past, Randi Pink explores two extraordinary characters who channel their hopelessness and find their voices to make history.
Reviews
Praise for We Are the Scribes
"A heartbreaking and inspiring insight into the mechanics behind different forms of activism. "—BCCB
"A Black 16-year-old is spurred to action amid present-day political unrest when she’s visited by the ghost of an enslaved woman from the 1900s in this affecting novel . . . Pink mindfully ruminates on the healing and lifesaving power of words, expertly highlighting Harriet’s experiences, as told in her autobiography, to reflect on Ruth’s tumultuous present."—Publishers Weekly
Reviews from Goodreads
BOOK EXCERPTS
Read an Excerpt
1
“Ready for this?” Dad asked across our thick wooden dining table. “You don’t have to go to school.”
I couldn’t think of anything to say in response. Instead, I stared at the extra-large stockpot of cheese and veggie...