this here is my chance to get / right out of here / mix my self way low in the cotton / most close to the dirt / wind myself like a snake / till ah can swim 'cross the stream / then them dogs'll lose my scent / it's like that over & over / in cold / in the winter / in the marsh / in a abandoned shanty / ah might get hungry / ah may get tired / good Lawd / ah may be free With powerful language and stirring art, Ntozake Shange and Rod Brown bring to life the treacherous journey of the travelers on the Underground Railroad. Fine artist Rod Brown was haunted by his dreams of slaves sweating and working in the cotton fields, yearning for freedom, their bodies exhausted from hard labor and harrowing escapes. His images and Ntozake Shange's uncompromising free verse memorialize them and their struggles. Ntozake and Rod's second collaboration, Freedom's a-Callin Me is a triumphant collection about the promise of freedom and the persistence of the human spirit. Also from Ntozake Shange and Rod Brown, We Troubled the Waters was a CCBC Choice book and a Notable Social Studies Trade Book. Praise for We Troubled the Waters: "A deeply honest and moving chronology."-- Publishers Weekly (starred review) "The triumph of the spirit and the determination and bravery of famous and everyday people are expressed on each page of this exceptional book. It should be in every collection.

"-- School Library Journal (starred review).