No Place For Fear Book

First Dawn, by Judith McCoy Miller, is about the first group of freed slaves, Exodusters, to move to Nicodemus, Kansas in hope of a better life. The story is mainly about one family's experiences from the journey to settling in Kansas. Going to Nicodemus in hope of a new start Jarena, the main character, and her family don't bring very much supplies needed to survive on the frontier. When they arrive in Kansas they realize that Nicodemus is not the town they hoped to arrive to, but instead, barren prairie. Struggling to survive, everyone in the community has to help pitch in, even if it means putting your life in danger. That's what happens to Thomas, a young man who has a large secret that he can't tell anyone. Even if times are tough Jarena and her family will persevere through in hope of a brighter day around the corner.
I read First Dawn after I did the exodus tees for history day. It is a fiction book, but I think it had really good information on the Exodusters. When I first started I didn't think I would like it but it was actually a really good book. It really made me think about what life was like for freed slaves after reconstruction and what life was like in Nicodemus. I think that the theme of First Dawn is good thing can come from hard work. The well developed characters were able to prove the them every well through their actions. I really liked that.
I recommend this book to people who like to read historical information. It is also good for someone researching this kind of stuff because even if it is fiction it still gives a good idea on what happened and some fictional personal experiences.