On the eve of his tenth birthday, a young slave’s life is turned upside down. The unthinkable events that led up to the day Oscar Mercer saw a hummingbird test the limits of this young boy’s body, mind and soul. Gripped with fear and filled with anger, Oscar faces raw, crushing hatred aimed at him and everyone he loves. In a time when a nation was ripped apart geographically, economically, … politically and morally, comes a story of a courageous boy who began life as a slave on a sugarcane plantation in Louisiana and escapes via The Underground Railroad. Through the efforts and good will of kind, brave people determined to free slaves, Oscar faces devastating obstacles and dangers. Struggling with his inner impulse to seek revenge for the injustices and violence levied on his family and friends, he discovers that in bondage you pray to God, but in freedom, you meet Him. From the award-winning, best-selling author of The Seven Year Dress comes a story that brings another cadre of memorable characters alive on pages that pulse with hatred and kindness, cruelty and compassion, despair and hope. Oscar’s journey on the Underground Railroad is a heart-pounding ride that the reader will remember long after this story ends.
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I absolutely loved this harrowing yet endearing tale of a young slave’s journey to freedom.
If you want to discover a fresh indi author with amazing talent then take a look at this one. The fact all profits go to an animal shelter is an added bonus.
I was completely enthralled by the read and impressed with how the author told the authentic story through the eyes of a young boy, never once slipping out of character. Oscar experiences and witnesses great cruelty and violence but this is balenced by the generous and brave people who helped him on his journey.
Fantastic book. Highly recommend.
This book held definite appeal to me as I have long admired the work of Harriet Tubman and all those who worked to liberate slaves and help them to freedom. ‘The Day I Saw The Hummingbird’ immerses the reader in the life and experiences of Oscar Mercer, born into slavery in a sugar plantation in Louisiana in the years preceding the American Civil War.
Oscar’s story is heartbreaking, terrifying and inspiring as the author positions the reader as an eyewitness to the tragedies, but also the courage and kindness, experienced by Oscar as he grows to understand that compassion is as powerful as hatred, and that wisdom and loyalty are qualities that should be as highly prized as one’s own freedom.
This story is beautifully told, with evocative language and vivid imagery that causes the reader to develop deep empathy not only for Oscar but also for all others in similar positions. The story also highlights a truth that is often overlooked: even in the deep south, there were many white people opposed to slavery or, at the very least, opposed to the cruelty with which so many were treated. Indeed, a broad range of human responses to slavery are depicted in the actions of different characters in this book, showing that it is one’s individual choices and personal ethics that set one person apart from another in terms of character and integrity, and that it is both possible and imperative to stand up for what is right rather than settle for convenient wrongs.
This is an important story that everyone should read in their lifetime, and which should be in personal bookshelves and library collections alongside ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ and ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin’.
Though the heavy subject matter of The Day I Saw The Hummingbird makes it a difficult read, I could not put this book down. Oscar’s journey to freedom, while he not only flees for his life but battles his own inner hatred toward his oppressors, is beautifully written and filled with so many truthful passages. A line that resonated most for me was, “…my thoughts and feelings are the invisible chains shackling me…”. A beautiful piece that all should read.
Beautiful in the haunting writing, this story documents the life that Oscar faced in slavery. At the hands of a cruel owner, young Oscar was forced to face many injustices and overtime they filled him with a general loathing for mankind. Oscar’s mother did what she could to teach him things to expand the world around him and to keep him from being overrun with hate. At the time of her death though, she encouraged him to do what she hadn’t been able to—to escape.
The harrowing journey sees Oscar through the Underground Railroad and expresses the hope, frustration, and loss that he felt on his way to freedom.
The author certainly has a way of making the emotions of her characters vivid. Reading through this book makes it all too easy to put yourself in Oscar’s place, to feel his fear, anguish, and determination.
That being said, this is a very hard book to get through for some of the things that Oscar endures, but it is a must read.
This is one of those books that left such a lasting impression on me that I will never forget it. Author Paulette Mahurin has done an excellent job of balancing the heartbreak and injustice of young Oscar’s life as a slave with an abusive master with hope, inspiration, and an enduring belief that there are good, helpful people in the world who love and are willing to sacrifice their own safety for others, no matter what color their skin. The cast of supporting characters is wonderfully drawn – some truly despicable and evil, and some, lovely, kind-hearted souls who touch Oscar’s life, giving him an important gift or life lesson that helps him grow up and survive even amidst the dangerous circumstances and horrific backdrop of the life he was born to. I highly recommend “The Day I Saw the Hummingbird.”