"Forge" by Laurie Halse Anderson

294 pages

In “Chains,” young Isabel describes her life in slavery in New England during the Revolutionary War and how she escaped from her violent master with her friend Curzon, a young former slave who had been fighting for the Americans in exchange for his freedom before being captured by the British. Now, in “Forge,” we jump back into the story nine months after the teenagers’ escape, only now we see things from Curzon’s perspective. We discover that shortly after their escape, he and Isabel parted ways due to an argument about whether to go after Isabel’s younger sister, Ruth, who had been sold to a family in South Carolina. Now Curzon finds himself fighting for the Patriots again and struggling to survive the harsh winter of 1777-1778, as the Continental Army doesn’t have the resources to properly feed and clothe all the soldiers. After making friends in his regiment, everything is turned upside down when he encounters his former master—who has recently bought the captured Isabel.

It took me a while to get into “Forge.” It didn’t seem like a lot was going on at the beginning, but the second half picked up the pace. I like that the author switched from Isabel’s perspective to Curzon’s, as it helped me understand both the characters better. I also liked the appendix at the back with historical information about what is and isn’t true in the novel, in Q and A format. Although the story as a whole didn’t engage me as much as “Chains” did, I liked where it was going and am looking forward to “Ashes,” the next book in the series, which is supposed to come out October 1.

"Chains" by Laurie Halse Anderson

316 pages

It's 1776. Twelve-year-old Isabel and her five-year-old sister, Ruth, are the slaves of a gentle elderly woman in Rhode Island. Their father was sold and taken to another state long ago, and their mother is dead. Their owner has promised that they'll be set free after she dies, but when she does, her will is lost and the sisters end up being sold to a cruel couple in New York City. There they find themselves in the middle of a city divided by the American Revolution. Isabel becomes friends with a young slave named Curzon who has ties to the Patriots, and he convinces her to spy on her owner, who is loyal to the King. Isabel thinks that helping the Patriots will help her and her sister obtain their own freedom, but she soon realizes that the situation is much more complicated than that.

There are a lot of books about slaves that are set during the Civil War, but I haven't seen many that take place during the Revolutionary War. This story highlights the irony of the fact that many of the men who sought their political freedom from the British enslaved human beings themselves. I'm not an expert on life during the Revolutionary War, but some of the details in the book didn't ring true to me, especially the dialogue. Other than that, I enjoyed "Chains." I got sucked into this story right away, and the characters really came to life to me. I think this is a great book for younger readers because it introduces the horrific atrocities of slavery and shows a side of the American Revolution that's sometimes overlooked without being terribly graphic.

Chains

By Laurie Halse Anderson, 316 pages.

Freedom. That is what was promised to slave girl Isabel by her recently deceased owner. Unfortunately, the man holding the document ensuring her freedom isn't present and Isabel, along with her young sister Ruth, are sold and sent to New York City. It is 1776 and anyone who might sympathize with the plight of the girls is distracted with the Revolution. Isabel is forced to quickly adjust to a city life with her new owners. She is also thrown into the drama of the American Revolution as she struggles to determine which side she should throw her loyalty to in order to secure her freedom. After losing her sister, Isabel realizes that the only person she can count on to save her is herself. Fluidly written and carefully researched, Chains is a book of historical fiction that not only describes the Revolution, but more importantly the story of how the impact it had on the slaves of the timeperiod.