Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson
As you can see from the cover, this book is qualifying for and winning all sorts of awards. I fear that at some point the whole cover illustration will be obscured. I wasn’t going to include it in my Black History Month selections, in part because it is written by a white author, but how can you avoid this much hype?
Isabel and her sister Ruth were to be freed upon the death of their owner. But the lawyer who was in charge of the will has vanished, and the girls are sold off by the heir of the estate. They end up in New York and the city is in chaos. Their owners are strong Loyalists in a city full of the Continental army. Angry over her fate and coaxed by promises of freedom, Isabel spies on her owners, risking everything in a bid to free herself and Ruth. She soon learns that nothing is fair in wartime especially for a slave.
From a historical perspective, this was certainly fascinating. Despite five years of American Revolutionary history courtesy of a Social Studies curriculum that was sorely lacking, I had only limited knowledge of how the war played out in New York City. Anderson certainly made the city come alive. On the side of character though, I wasn’t as impressed as I was supposed to be. I was continually surprised by Isabel’s naivety. She always trusts that people will help her, even when she is faced with evidence that promises are often broken. Also, I was uncertain as to how realistic a character portrayal it was given the times. While in keeping with our modern ideals of what a young woman and feisty slave should be like, I wasn’t sure how Isabel fit with how someone of the era would have actually behaved. Also, call me cold-hearted, but I just never really connected with the character.
So was it good? Absolutely. I read it quickly and wanted to get back to it when I put it down. Do I think kids will connect with it? I honestly don’t know. My public library has it filed in Teen, which I believe has more to do with the sometimes violent content than interest. I think it would be great to use with a captive audience (teaching, reading aloud and discussing), but I don’t know how many teens would pluck it off the shelf themselves. I’m really curious and can’t effect my own experiment as my students are way too young for this.
And yes, I think advanced readers in grades 6 and up could manage it. There is a lot of required background knowledge about the Revolutionary War, but I think kids would be able to fight through it all right.
Sex, Nudity, Dating – A pregnant soldier’s wife has a baby.
Profanity – None.
Death, Violence and Gore –It’s slavery and it’s war. Slaves are hit, beaten, branded, whipped, and yes those are characters we know and care about. There is domestic violence where a husband beats his wife. Men are hung for their crimes. There is a massive fire in New York. Due to the war, dead bodies abound. We are treated to sights of the war, including a cannonball ripping off a man’s head. Wounds during wartime often lead to amputations and of course, flesh is crawling with maggots.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – Rum is sold from the islands. Men smoke pipes.
Frightening or Intense Things – This book is about slavery, so there are many details about slavery that are unpleasant, of course including the buying and selling of people. Illness is also a major factor in this book.
