Louisa is the story of a young African girl name Farih Morowa. She was born in Senegal. One day she was captured and taken away from her family to come to the United States to be a slave. This is her story about being captured, the horrific boat ride to the United States, her years as a slave in the Wheatley household and her life after slavery.
Farih was rename Louisa after the name of the cargo ship she arrived on.
The story tells you all about Louisa’s life with the Wheatly family and how Mrs. Wheatly taught Louisa how to read and write which was unheard of back in the time of slavery. Slaves were not normally educated.
Louisa eventually became a part of the Wheatly family, although still very much their slave. She remained with them until the owner’s death when she was finally allowed to be free. The book also talks about Louisa’s life as an adult and a famous poet.
I found the book very upsetting when I read about the horrible mistreatment that slaves received, however I know that slaves were really treated that way. It was disturbing, but a part of our history of the United States.
The only parts I could have done without was Louisa’s first period and learning about conception and the details around the death of her first child. I think things like that are best suited for adult books, not books that would be read by ‘tweens and teens. But that is my only complaint.
My daughter read the book. She told me that it went along with a lot of what she learned in school about slavery, so in a way it was providing her with additional insight into things she already learned in her Social Studies class. My daughter also told me that she’s happy that there is no such thing as slavery in the United States anymore because she couldn’t imagine people being treated that way.
I think the book gives a valuable look into life as a slave back in the late 1700’s. It’s a very educational book which is loosely based on the life of the poet Phillis Wheatly.
I would recommend this book for older children, from 12 to adult. I think the imagery might be too disturbing for younger children.
If your child needs to read books for Black History Month or has a report to do on slavery in the United States Louisa is a valuable book to read.
Louisa is available at many online book retailers.