The authors show compassion for the African Americans dealing with persecution and racial inequity. They reveal the honest attitudes of whalers, townsfolk, and families as they deal with the audacities of racial inequity and the harshness of whaling adventures. These insights, new to many readers, help young adults understand the limitations and hurts inherent in racial inequity. It helps readers understand the difficult choices their ancestors made in providing for themselves and their families.

The McKissacks aid young adults in their search for the truth. They create a chronology of historical events, as well as additional resources on whalers, ships, African Americans, Native Americans, and the abolitionist movement. Laying out the historical facts validates the journeys of African Americans, Native Americans, Quakers, women, and whalers. Perhaps a teenager will feel appreciation and gratitude for the choices they have today, choices that do not seem as severe...