Hammering for Freedom

Hammering For Freedom is about a young slave’s dream of becoming free. William “Bill” Lewis was the first African-American blacksmith in the city of Chattanooga, Tennessee. He became famous for his outstanding work and was fast at fixing tools. Bill had a genius plan to free himself and his entire family, something almost no slave could do. People of all ages should read this book if they like American history.

Bill’s story is a lot like Harriet Tubman’s, except his plan started before the Civil War began. The illustrations in this picture book show how tiring, hot, and sweaty blacksmith work was, but they also show how kind and loving Bill was to his family. Not only did his family love him, but the entire town loved him. To me, it was a fantastic journey for Bill and his family because he bought their freedom through backbreaking work. This story was exciting to read, and I liked that it showed how much a man loved his family.