60 pages • 2 hours read
Trouble Don't Last
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Summary and Study Guide
Overview
Trouble Don’t Last (2002) is a middle grade historical fiction novel by Shelley Pearsall. The 11-year-old protagonist, Samuel, was born into enslavement in Kentucky, and his mother was sold away when he was still a baby. After being raised by two older enslaved people, Harrison and Lilly, Samuel embarks with Harrison on a harrowing, dangerous journey to Canada, where they can be free. The novel explores the hardships of enslavement, the challenges of seeking freedom, and the impact of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 and the Underground Railroad.
This guide refers to the paperback edition published by Yearling in 2003.
Content Warning: Trouble Don’t Last and this guide contain descriptions of enslavement, abuse, death, and the forced separation of families. The source text also includes outdated, racist language, some of which is quoted in this guide.
Plot Summary
Eleven-year-old Samuel was born into enslavement on a plantation in Kentucky. His mother, Hannah, was sold away when he was a baby, and two older enslaved people on the plantation, Harrison and Lilly, raised him. Unbeknownst to Samuel, Harrison is Hannah’s father and Samuel’s grandfather, but he conceals this from Samuel to spare him emotional pain should they ever be separated.
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