One Big Open Sky

December 18, 2023
Three generations of Black women—young Lettie, her mother, and teacher Philomena—take turns narrating a challenging westward journey in this gripping historical verse novel, set in 1879. After learning about land that they can own and operate in Nebraska, Lettie’s stubborn but ambitious father urges the family to leave Mississippi; he believes that migrating west and living as homesteaders will provide them with better economic prospects. Traveling in small communities known as companies, Lettie and nine other families journey westward; during their expedition they traverse turbulent rivers and encounter infectious disease all while being mindful of their dwindling finances. Lettie’s pregnant mother tries to maintain morale among her children, but the relentless travel conditions begin to take a toll on her. Along the way, they meet Philomena, who offers herself—and her meager but needed capital—to Lettie’s family as a helping hand in exchange for safe passage west. Though the alternating perspectives are occasionally repetitive, through them Cline-Ransome (Being Clem) depicts a harrowing tale. The novel’s slow-burn pacing and the meticulously layered intersections of each protagonist’s experience deftly captures the lengths to which Black people—particularly women—would go in pursuit of freedom in the post-Reconstruction era. Ages 8–12.

Starred review from January 1, 2024
An African American girl and her family experience hardships as they leave Mississippi for a better life out West. Lettie is growing up in Natchez in 1879 when her father, Thomas, decides the family should join a wagon train heading to Nebraska. There he would no longer have to work on a white man's land but could acquire his own property. Lettie's mother, Sylvia, is reluctant to leave her family, but Thomas is determined. When the steamships taking travelers up the Mississippi River to St. Louis leave Black groups behind, they band together to take an alternate route. The families become a community, even electing leaders--although Thomas is disappointed and resentful when he isn't chosen for a top position. The journey is arduous, but Lettie, with her head for numbers, records their miles and tracks their supplies. Their family dynamic changes when a young woman named Philomena, who's heading to Nebraska for a teaching job, joins their wagon. Along the way, her presence becomes fortuitous. This is a beautifully crafted novel in verse: Cline-Ransome once again demonstrates her incredible literary skills as characters' personalities are revealed by their actions. The intergenerational voices provide depth as the events unfold, and the emotionally resonant writing is rich in details that add texture and meaning to this unique depiction of African American homesteaders that's full of resilience and hope. A deeply moving story that centers a distinctive part of the African American story. (map, author's note) (Verse historical fiction. 8-12)

COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

February 15, 2024
Grades 4-6 In 1879, discouraged by the lack of opportunities for Black people in Natchez, Mississippi, 11-year-old Lettie Grier's father decides that their family will travel by covered wagon to Nebraska, where homesteading lands are free and they can make a fresh start. The trip is beset by pitfalls (crossing torrential rivers, suffering illness and death, and facing wild weather including hailstorms) but also filled with surprising new friendships and camaraderie with the other passengers traveling with them. This novel in verse is narrated by Lettie; her mother, Sylvia; and 18-year-old Philomena, an orphan hired to be the new teacher in the Nebraskan town of North Platte, giving the narrative a feminist perspective that conveys the frustrations of women who often had little choice in whether they made these journeys. The verses read smoothly and, although completely lacking in punctuation, will be accessible to young readers. Additional historical context can be found in the lengthy author's note, which offers more information on Black homesteading and acknowledges the theft of this "free" land from Indigenous peoples.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

March 1, 2024
In 1879, Lettie's African American family begins a westward journey from Natchez, Mississippi, to Nebraska, where her father seeks a better life for them. "We can't live free / on someone else's land / picking someone else's crop! / I need something to call my own." Eleven-year-old Lettie, her parents, and her two younger brothers load all they can into a wagon and join a caravan of ten families journeying on flatboat and on foot. Cline-Ransome's spare free-verse narrative centers three skillfully developed female voices: Lettie; her mother, Sylvia; and eighteen-year-old Philomena, on her way to her first teaching job in Nebraska. Lettie keeps track of the miles and spending on supplies while Sylvia does her best to keep the children's spirits uplifted. Philomena joins the family in Missouri, gaining passage in exchange for help with cooking and laundry. The treacherous terrain, extreme weather changes, and unforeseen tragedies are overwhelming at times, but the sense of community among the travelers offers a prevailing sense of hope. This is a captivating story about African American homesteaders and their claims to land promised them after the Civil War. Pauletta Brown Bracy

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

March 2, 2024

Gr 5 Up-It is 1879 and pioneers are pouring across the country, seeking free land in the West. Lettie, her parents, and her brothers leave everything she has ever known in Mississippi to chase the dreamland and prosperity in Nebraska. Sylvia follows her husband's dream out West, but struggles with all she has lost. Philomena seeks independence and freedom as she heads to Nebraska to take up her new job as a schoolteacher. Each of these Black women fights for their dreams and their future along the wagon trail in this emotional novel in verse. Will the travails of the trail overtake them, or will they find the new home and hope they so desperately long for? Set in the rarely told history of Black homesteaders during the Westward Expansion, this novel shines in its depiction of life on the trail and with its in-depth focus on relationship dynamics and self-realization. The varying viewpoints of the multigenerational narrators add depth and breadth to the storyline and character growth. Readers will find themselves cheering for and crying with these pioneering women as their expedition unfolds. VERDICT This emotional look into an untold part of the Westward Expansion dives deep into Black self-emancipation and the strength of Black women. Recommended for purchase for both historical fiction and interpersonal growth collections.-Emily Beasley

Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2024
In 1879, Lettie's African American family begins a westward journey from Natchez, Mississippi, to Nebraska, where her father seeks a better life for them. "We can't live free / on someone else's land / picking someone else's crop! / I need something to call my own." Eleven-year-old Lettie, her parents, and her two younger brothers load all they can into a wagon and join a caravan of ten families journeying on flatboat and on foot. Cline-Ransome's spare free-verse narrative centers three skillfully developed female voices: Lettie; her mother, Sylvia; and eighteen-year-old Philomena, on her way to her first teaching job in Nebraska. Lettie keeps track of the miles and spending on supplies while Sylvia does her best to keep the children's spirits uplifted. Philomena joins the family in Missouri, gaining passage in exchange for help with cooking and laundry. The treacherous terrain, extreme weather changes, and unforeseen tragedies are overwhelming at times, but the sense of community among the travelers offers a prevailing sense of hope. This is a captivating story about African American homesteaders and their claims to land promised them after the Civil War.

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)