“Escape into the Night” was a book I had read several times as a child and recently rediscovered along some boxes at my mom’s house. 

I was curious to revisit it since I didn’t really remember the plot and of course so much of our portrayals of and most critically the language surrounding slavery has evolved so much since the book was originally published in 1995. Surprisingly, it’s not that bad. The way Johnson wrote the enslaved people’s dialogue is definitely problematic as is the reliance of the white saviors trope, but again, it’s not bad for 1995. 

The book does touch on on very difficult and upsetting topics, primarily slavery, so adults providing a child with this book should be prepared to have a conversation with them.