Life Lines

When the USS Truxtun was shipwrecked off the coast of Newfoundland in 1942, Lanier Phillips, an African-American serviceman, was rescued by the people of the town of St. Lawrence. The kindness he received transformed his life and ignited a lasting passion for civil rights. Lanier went on to a distinguished career in the US Navy, and he later marched with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., worked with Jaques Cousteau, and retold his story of transformation with the hope of inspiring change.

In Life Lines: The Lanier Phillips Story, award-winning author Christine Welldon weaves Lanier’s story through shipwreck, rescue, and the American civil-rights movement to reveal a tale of dignity, determination, and the incredible power of kindness.

AUTHOR

Christine Welldon

CHRISTINE WELLDON loves bringing little-known stories of Canadian history to life for young readers. Her books – including The Children of Africville (Nimbus 2009), Children of the Titanic (Nimbus 2010), and Listen to My Story: Pier 21 (Nimbus 2012) – have been nominated for the Hackmatack, Golden Oak, Round Table Children’s Literature, and ALA Amelia Bloomer awards.Welldon makes her home in Nova Scotia.

Reviews

“Life Lines is a short book intended for young people, for those who might not have raised their hands earlier. The hope is that through its pages young readers — all readers, for that matter — will be exposed to an important story from Newfoundland’s history; a story not just about the United States’ racial bigotry but of North American racism.”