CAN we trust the book "To Be A Slave"?

I'd Probably say yes, I do trust Julius Lester and his book, because all the detailes are so clear, it's as if he's probably interviewed each and every slave he has in "To Be A Slave" For example on page 38, there is a lot of detail, and he's also conveyed it in the right way, by showinig it in first person and later on explain it in third person. Also, the book, " To Be A Slave" has also won a Newbery Honor Book award which means the book has got to have something good in it for it to win the award. And last but not least, why would the teachers at AES make us read this book if they didn't trust it???