Tonya Duncan Ellis ’92 debuts new book, sharing the history of Juneteenth
Her new picture book is titled “They Built Me for Freedom,” and centers around Emancipation Park in Houston, Texas, and the origins of the Juneteenth holiday.
When her children were young, Tonya Duncan Ellis ’92 struggled to find books that reflected their experiences. It was particularly noticeable with her youngest son, Justin.
“When I was reading with my kids, I would be sharing books that I loved as a kid,” Ellis said. “My youngest son didn’t relate to most of the books I read growing up.”
Not only were her favorite books somewhat foreign to an active, video-game-playing boy, but she didn’t find a lot of other options available. So she decided to take matters into her own hands and decided to try writing “a fun series they might like about contemporary kids they may relate to.”
And that was the origin of the Sophie Washington series, 13 books centered around an 11-year-old, her younger brother and their friends.
The books were a hit with her kids, and also with their school librarian.
“She said these fill a niche,” Ellis said. “There weren’t many books that featured African American families that have a joyful, playful atmosphere that weren’t dealing with trauma or different kinds of struggles. These are just everyday life.”
Ellis found success with the series, as local schools added them to their collections. Scholastic, the publishing and media company famous for its school book fairs, bought the rights to one of the Sophie Washington stories to include in a package of STEM-related books for girls.
The success of the series led Ellis to hire a literary agent, who helped get her latest book into the hands of publishing giant HarperCollins. The picture book is titled “They Built Me for Freedom,” and centers around Emancipation Park in Houston, Texas, and the origins of the Juneteenth holiday.
“I visited Emancipation Park here in Houston, where I live, and I thought, ‘This is something people need to know about,” Ellis said.
She wrote a manuscript, which her agent sold in just a couple weeks. HarperCollins bought the book just before Juneteenth was recognized as a federal holiday starting a nearly two-year publication process which ended with the book’s release in May.
Another manuscript purchased by the publisher is scheduled to hit shelves in a couple years.
“I’ve always loved reading, and writing these books makes me happy to be able to share my stories and also encourage kids to read,” Ellis said.
Ellis lives in Houston with her husband, Keith. They are the parents of three children, Sophia, Byron and Justin.
