Another book I read just for the Mock Newbery in Oakland is Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson. While I had read some of Anderson's contemporary novels, I was extremely compelled by the historical premise of her newest book. Unlike many stories set during the American Revolutionary War, Chains has an added complexity in its setting because it is also a slave narrative, told in the first person point of view, of a teenaged slave.
Although the Mock Newbery I attended did not select this novel for its list, Chains was a finalist for the National Book Award, and the winner of the Scott O'Dell Award for the most distinguished work of historical fiction for young people.
Chains is a work that is post-colonial, following the adventures of Isabel desperately trying to protect her sister and gaining their freedom by spying on her loyalist owners and passing on the information to the rebellion. There were some scenes and descriptions that were definitely quite brutally vivid, yet the violence felt true to the story. I also appreciated how the rebels and loyalists were not all portrayed as "good" and "evil," and the added layer of race and slavery issues made Isabel's situation difficult in negotiating and winning her way to freedom. I did think the novel ended too quickly, but there is a sequel.
Because I had seen Laurie Halse Anderson speak, I knew that she is not a black woman. I wonder how much this knowledge influenced some readers' enjoyment of Chains. For me, it worked, and I cannot wait to read the next installment of Isabel's adventures.
Although the Mock Newbery I attended did not select this novel for its list, Chains was a finalist for the National Book Award, and the winner of the Scott O'Dell Award for the most distinguished work of historical fiction for young people.
Chains is a work that is post-colonial, following the adventures of Isabel desperately trying to protect her sister and gaining their freedom by spying on her loyalist owners and passing on the information to the rebellion. There were some scenes and descriptions that were definitely quite brutally vivid, yet the violence felt true to the story. I also appreciated how the rebels and loyalists were not all portrayed as "good" and "evil," and the added layer of race and slavery issues made Isabel's situation difficult in negotiating and winning her way to freedom. I did think the novel ended too quickly, but there is a sequel.
Because I had seen Laurie Halse Anderson speak, I knew that she is not a black woman. I wonder how much this knowledge influenced some readers' enjoyment of Chains. For me, it worked, and I cannot wait to read the next installment of Isabel's adventures.
feed me
Leave a comment