The Long Black Schooner

My darling son, Shawn, brought me an early Christmas present the other day. How cool is that? My husband had taken the kids up to the school for the Santa Shop. If you are not familiar with this concept, a fund raiser retailer comes in to the school and sets up a shop full of inexpensive and varied items, so that the kids can easily shop for their loved ones. The shopping gets done all in one place, and the gifts are easy for a child’s budget to accommodate. It’s a really neat program.

Another thing happened to be going on that night at school, as well. The library was giving away books. Did someone say giving away books? I am so there! Well, I wasn’t - but, my boy was looking out for me! He brought me home a great book to read, and a very important one, at that! He brought me “The Long Black Schooner” by Emma Gelders Sterne. It is the story that prompted the movie, “Amistad”. I haven’t seen the movie, but, I am so excited to read the book. I think it will be a much more enriching experience to read the story first. That is how it usually is for me. The subtitle is “The Voyage of the Amistad” and the book was also later renamed to “The Slave Ship”. So the book kind of has three titles. Isn’t that weird?

Here’s a picture of my copy:

The round thing coming off the top of it is my booklight. I love that thing! My dad bought it for me last summer and it is the nicest one I’ve ever had - it rocks!

There is one about Shawn bringing me a book that is heartwrenching - if you’re a bookworm, that is. Do you know why the library was giving away their books? They were giving them away because they are…..eeks…..”discards“. Yes, discards. Isn’t that the saddest thing you’ve ever heard anyone say in reference to books? It’s even stamped inside the front of the book:

Ugh. So sad. Shawn said they were going to throw away whatever books they had left over. I’m hoping and praying his information is wrong - surely it must be, right? We have a brand new thrift store in town that would probably love them! I’ll have to ask the librarians about that, I’m sure the child was wrong.

I’m also sure, however, that the child was sweet - to think of me. And to bring me such a historically important book. When your child loves books enough to give you back books in return, then you know your book circle has come full circle. And that life is good.

Yes, I’m silly and sappy when I talk about books.