William Henry Is a Fine Name Book Review

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 About the Book

They told him his best friend wasn't human. Robert's father assisted the Underground Railroad. His mother adamantly opposed abolition. His best friend was a black boy named William Henry. As a nation neared its boiling point, Robert found himself in his own painful conflict. The one thing he couldn't do was nothing at all. William Henry is a coming-of-age story about a 12-year-old boy--and an entire country--that comes face to face with the evils of society, even within the walls of the church. In the safety of an uplifting friendship, he discovers the hope of a brighter day.(Goodreads)

My Review

I have enjoyed all of the books by Cathy that I have read. This book has won a Christy Award and the cover and back cover enticed me. The story within the pages is a heart wrencher. The story takes you back in time to the Underground Railroad and a place where owning slaves and punishing them, even to the point of cutting off their foot, was acceptable in society. There are some graphic scenes such as I mentioned above but this story really takes the point home. There are a few characters that all interweave together and I enjoyed Robert's point of view, it was refreshing. It is well written and while sad, it tells a great story that we seem to forget ever happened. 

Five stars. 

"I received this book from MP Newsroom for free in exchange for an honest review."