Finally, the remarkable story of honourary Newfoundlander Lanier
Phillips is available for young children in this heartwarming picture
book.
A young African American and the son of sharecroppers, Lanier Phillips
escapes the violence, racism, and segregation of his Georgia home by
joining the navy during the Second World War. But tragedy strikes the
USS Truxtun one February night off the southeastern coast of
Newfoundland, and Lanier is the lone Black survivor of the terrible
shipwreck. Covered in oil when he arrives onshore, the community's
kindness and humanity brings him back to health and changes his outlook
on life. He would go on to march for Black rights with Martin Luther
King, and remained forever grateful to the small town of St. Lawrence,
Newfoundland.
With vibrant illustrations by celebrated artist Erin Banks, A Change of
Heart vividly depicts Lanier's life-changing experiences in
Newfoundland that fateful February.