Nightjohn Book Summary

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Recommended: Slavery's effect on society

Nightjohn is set in the South of the United States before the Civil War. The main characters in the book are John “Nightjohn”, Sarny, Mammy, and the plantation owner Waller. John was bought by Waller for $1000 dollars and was subject to cruel treatment from the start, having to pull Waller’s horse cart naked and barefoot. The book shows how being literate contributed to the escape of some slaves before the Civil War, and how slavery played a pivotal role in society back then. In 1860, there were almost 4 million slaves owned across the country, which was the majority of the black population. John meets Sarny after offering to teach her reading and writing in exchange for tobacco. The slaves in the book Nightjohn had a lot of courage trying

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