A lighter post today! Review of a nonfiction Children’s book!
Vanita Oelschlager. The Pullman Porter. Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing, May 1st 2014. 44 pp.
5 out of 5
Purchase: Amazon
Have you heard of the Pullman Porters? If so have you realized how important they were for things in our society such as civil rights? In this fascinating illustrated children’s book author Vanita Oelschlager tells us about this occupation and also how they were significant to the civil rights movement. I thought the book was beautifully illustrated and fact based. Fascinating!
Travel on railroads in the 1800s was extremely uncomfortable. In 1857 a man from Chicago name George Pullman invented something to make traveling by rail more comfortable (and also to make railroad travels more lucrative). Pullman invented railroad cars called Pullman sleeping cars that had comfortable beds and also dining cars with meals. These cars had fine linen and also were heated. To staff these cars people were hired called Pullman Porters. Pullman Porters were hired to take care of many things for their clients from shining shoes, serving meals and attending to customers’ various needs. Former slaves were hired for these positions. The book goes over how these Pullman Porters worked and also the requirement for someone to be hired. Eventually these workers were unionized in 1937. Rosa Parks was asked by a Pullman Porter E.D. Nixon to refuse to go to the back of the bus. Their union head was A. Phillip Randolph was credited with the start of the Civil Rights movement and Randolph himself introduced Martin Luther King during his famous 1963 speech at the Lincoln Memorial.
Overall a fascinating book of history, civil rights and trains. I recommend it and my kids thoroughly enjoyed it.
NOTE: This book was provided to me free by Vanita Books and Net Galley without any obligation for a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.
The Domain for Truth 
Thanks for this review! Fun stuff. I always loved trains. I imagine most passengers didn’t actually get much sleep on those Pullman sleepers with the constant herky-jerky swaying and clickity-clack.
Since having kids I’ve become fascinated with trains! I imagine its hard to get sleep in those trains too. One of these days though I want to travel on a train cross country for fun, but know its expensive and probably not what I think it will be. Have you travel long distance on a train before? I haven’t really…
Most of my train trips have been via NYC subway and commuter trains, although we did take a few long train trips in Europe but they weren’t overnight. The passenger trains in Europe are very nice.
I enjoyed reading this wonderful review. I love trains!
Woo hoo! You love trains too! Instead of saying woo hoo, maybe I should say choo choo! Praying by the way for your evangelism that will be under 24 hours from now (3 PM right?)
Choo Choo 😆
Under 24 hours from now. We meet at 11 am. Some of us meet for breakky and then go,
Thank you for your faithful prayers pastor Jim,
We have a rail museum nearby. I love to see the really old ones from the 19th century. 🚂 ☺
Wow awesome l! I love train museums! Is the one near you a general train museum or for a specific company or regional history, etc?
I live near the city of Durham in County Durham, north-east England, and the town, Shildon, a few miles from us is famous for railways in the u.k. That’s where the museum, called the Locomotion, is and it features a lot of history. The first public railway ran between Stockton and Darlington in County Durham. There are modern trains there too, but the ones I like the best are the old steam trains which were still being used when I travelled to work in my late teens!
Here’s a link. I hope you find it interesting. 🙂
Ooo sorry, I didn’t think it would print the whole thing on your page! I thought it would have taken you to another page. *blush*
This sounds wonderful, Jim! I’ve never ridden an American train, but always took the train porters for granted!
I hit the like button, but google seems to keep getting in the way.
Great work
That’s so neat. Never knew about this. I think it’s nice for kids to read about important history especially positive ones like this.
[…] for civil rights’ movement of African Americans (Source for this point is from Mike Blanc, The Pullman Porter). 8. Jim Crow fully took off after Reconstruction which ended in 1877. If the pastor thinks Chinese […]
Thanks for sharing this review…
Great review!
Thank you for reading this Omo! I’m grateful for the Pullman porter in so many ways!
I’m going to order this for my kids for Juneteenth
The US has come a long way…
Fascinating what God accomplished through those are humble
Amazing what God did through these workers
Cuba and Venezuela need these Pullman