Belle (20 page)

I hope you enjoyed Belle and Daniel’s story. After its first publication, many readers both young and old wanted to know if Belle and Daniel actually married, so I took that into consideration this time around. All of the historical elements of Belle’s story are well-documented, from the terrible mandates of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, to the pay-on-time arrangements offered by the Singer Sewing Machine Company. Even the book Jojo complained about reading (because it was written by a man) was a text read by young women of that era. If this book has made you curious about other historical aspects of Belle’s story, here are the sources I used to make Belle’s story come alive. Look for them in your public library.

Blockson, Charles L.
Hippocrene Guide to the Underground Railroad,
New York: Hippocrene Books, 1994.

Bennett, Lerone, Jr.
Before the Mayflower: A History of Black America,
New York: Penguin Books/Johnson Publishing, 1987.

Litwak, Leon F.
North of Slavery: The Negro in the Free States, 1790–1860.
Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1961.

Quarles, Benjamin.
Black Abolitionists,
New York: Oxford University Press, 1972.

Sterling, Dorothy A.
We Are Your Sisters: Black Women in the Nineteenth Century,
New York: Doubleday, 1976.

In closing, I’d like to say thanks to Linda Gill and Glenda Howard at Harlequin Books for their faith, help and support in bringing Belle’s story back to life. I will be forever grateful. Thanks also to Ms. LaToya Hopkins-Kimbrough for her teacher’s touch on the discussion questions. I’m sure her students at Brunswick Elementary in Gary, Indiana, will be impressed to see her name in print. Last but not least, a big thank-you to my readers, because without you there would be no Beverly Jenkins. Keep reading, everybody, and look for Jojo’s story next! Love you all. B.

What do you know about African-American history that you didn’t know before reading Belle’s story?


 


Were there free black communities in your area before the Civil War? How would you go about finding out?


 


Why do you think it was so important for Daniel that he honour the promise he had made to Francine’s dying mother, even though he was beginning to question his feelings for Francine and was developing feelings for Belle?


 


Why do you think it took humiliation at the hands of Francine at the picnic to motivate Belle to learn to read and not the initial talk she had with Mrs. Best on the same subject?


 


Do you think education is important now as it was in Belle’s time? If yes, why? If no, why not?


 


Had Belle not come into Daniel’s life, would his eyes ever have opened to the real Francine the Queen everyone else saw?


 


Why do you think the kidnapping experience by the slave catchers changed the Morgan brothers’ outlook on life so dramatically?


 


Was the threat of losing Daniel the only reason Francine seemed so determined to break Belle’s spirit?


 


If you could start your own business the way Belle did, what type of business would it be?


 


Did you enjoy the story? If yes, why? If no, why not?