Jessie Bell Linyear

Ashanti and Zuri Jessie Bell Linyear

Ashanti and Zuri: A Quest for Freedom is a historical fiction book which cites examples of events that took place when Africans were captured and sold into slavery. The events are factual but the characters are fictional. Although the events portrayed are inhumane and brutal, it is important that our youth have a realistic understanding of American history, regardless of how painful it may be. This book illustrates how and why Africans were brought to America as slaves, shares some of their experiences during the Middle Passage, and reveals hardships they experienced on this journey and while enslaved. It is written with young readers in mind and is presented in a manner that is realistic but not traumatizing.